The Razgriz Aces
by wisegirl502
Summary: Elizabeth "Blaze" Banks and the gang start out as a regular tactical fighter squadron. Then, when something goes terribly wrong and they're accused of being traitors to Osea, they are forced to leave the place they've always known; soon, these ACES will find they are destined to be greater than they ever imagined. This is their story. BlazexChopper & GenettexNagase & Grimm/OC
1. Prologue

**Hey y'all! ****Okay, I am so glad that FanFiction has it where you can write stories for video games! I have actually been writing this story for an extremely long time and I always wished I could publish it. Ah! I am so excited! Sorry if the summary sucked, it's much better if you actually read it, I swear! Enjoy! Oh, and so you know what the characters look like, I am pasting some info from a website that I got. I'm changing their looks up a bit like Chopper's hair and the ages of the characters. Oh, and if anyone has read any of my other stories, I really like the name Elizabeth Banks so, yeah.**

* * *

**Elizabeth "Blaze" Banks  
**Age: 24  
Height: 5'8"  
Weight: 130 lbs  
Hair Color: Blonde  
Eye Color: Hazel

**Alvin "Chopper" Davenport  
**Age: 26  
Height: 6'1"  
Weight: 150 lbs  
Hair Color: Blonde  
Eye Color: Blue

**Albert Genette  
**Age: 26  
Height: 5'11"  
Weight: 140 lbs  
Hair Color: Brown  
Eye Color: Hazel

**Kei "Edge" Nagase  
**Age: 24  
Height: 5'7"  
Weight: 122 lbs  
Hair Color: Black  
Eye Color: Brown

**Hans "Archer" Grimm**  
Age: 25  
Height: 5'10"  
Weight: 137 lbs  
Hair Color: Brown  
Eye Color: Green

**Cassie "Venus" Petersen**  
Age: 24  
Height: 5'7"  
Weight: 128 lbs  
Hair Color: Blonde  
Eye Color: Blue

**Jack "Heartbreak 1" Bartlett  
**Age: 42  
Height: 6'0"  
Weight: 172 lbs  
Hair Color: Black/Gray  
Eye Color: Brown

**Peter "Pops" Beagle  
**Age: 56  
Height: 5'7"  
Weight: 161 lbs  
Hair Color: Black  
Eye Color: Blue

**Marcus "Swordsman" Snow**  
Age: 34  
Height: 6'2"  
Weight: 158 lbs  
Hair Color: Black  
Eye Color: Brown

**Nicholas A. Anderson**  
Age: 61  
Height: 5'8"  
Weight: 158 lbs  
Hair Color: Gray  
Eye Color: Blue

**Allen Hamilton**  
Age: 28  
Height: 5'10"  
Weight: 143 lbs  
Hair Color: Blonde  
Eye Color: Green

**Orson Perrault**  
Age: 48  
Height: 5'11"  
Weight: 233 lbs  
Hair Color: Brown  
Eye Color: Green

* * *

**Prologue**

****Genette****

I have always been fascinated by wars; it probably has something to do with my sister Elizabeth, who had always been the history fanatic in our family besides our Uncle Jason. It seems they rubbed off on me.

She knew everything about every war. It was no surprise to any of us when she joined the military and an even smaller surprise when she joined the Air Force. She had always been in love with jets, especially because they were so fast, and I must say, she loved the pilots too but that was the boy-crazy side of her.

Aviator glasses were her favorite and she went through so many pairs because she always lost them. I have to admit that I loved aviators as well and had my own pair but I never lost them. I still have the pair from when I was fifteen. It's ten years later.

While my sister went to go fight for our country, I went into journalism, specializing in military articles and stories. But my main focus was on a war that happened when I was ten years old: The Belkan War. Somehow, I convinced my boss to let me go to Sand Island for an article. On the plane ride there, I started typing the introduction to my article.

_Fifteen years ago, there was a war. Well, war's broken out here plenty of times before. They've tried to invade the southlands through the northern valley time and time again. Luck was never on their side though and their victories didn't last long. They didn't realize times had changed. Facing one defeat after another, losing territory and watching their nation dwindle, they built up their industrial strength to unprecedented heights, and used it to wage one final battle against the world. _

_That was fifteen years ago._

_ They fought ferociously, but were utterly defeated. The Belkans then committed the unthinkable; they used nuclear weapons on their own soil. Seeing this tragedy unfold before their own eyes, the victorious countries vowed to throw down their weapons._

_The world was once again at peace, and thanks to them it seemed like it would last forever. On a distant island, far away from civilization, the protectors of the peace take to the skies._


	2. Shore Birds 1

**This is a June 15, 2012 update of the story. I've changed the format of the story from script to dialogue. The script form seemed easier at the time I first published this.**

* * *

**Shore Birds 1**

****Genette****

"Red Alert!" The Command Room shouted.

I was in the sky, trying to get the training team in my viewfinder from the rear seat of the lead plane. My pilot in the front seat was howling at the earth below.

The blue sky with its white clouds here and there was dotted with enemy planes in the horizon. I could just hear my sister going _Ah hell_ in my mind.

"Gimme a break! I'm babysitting nuggets up here," Bartlett snapped in annoyance.

"Command Room to Wardog Squadron, we have leakers, aircraft type unknown. Crossing the border at Cape Landers bearing 278 to 302. Captain Bartlett, your flight is the only one close enough to make the intercept."

Bartlett grumbled something that I couldn't quite make out but I'm pretty sure he called them "dog-smelling imbeciles."

With a sigh, Bartlett commanded, "Baker, Svenson, go trail and stay close. The three of us will go high and engage the bandits. All other aircraft stay low and out of the fight."

The world turned upside down and my stomach turned inside out as Bartlett flipped the plane over, diving straight for the ocean.

* * *

LATER...

"Sorry 'bout this." said Captain Bartlett.

The captain's apology to me seemed misplaced. One instructor had survived the fight but crashed on landing. The other one was killed in action high up in the clouds. It wasn't his fault that the unidentified aircraft fired on us without warning. Nor was it his fault that the low altitude area where he sent his trainees was directly in front of the enemy. Eight people died because the Command Room had misplaced some zeroes.

"That pilot in the number seven was amazing! Did you see her fight back?" I asked as I did a quick little jog to be beside Bartlett. It was true, she had been amazing. She had avoided every missile, every gun fire, directed at her.

"I couldn't bear to watch. Nagase! You keep flying like that and you'll die real soon!" he shouted at the number seven pilot.

"I won't die sir." Nagase answered. The only surviving trainee's voice was almost a whisper.

"Are you sure? You look like you couldn't hurt a fly." Bartlett muttered as he walked off. I turned to look at her. I took my camera, and before taking her picture, I studied her. Her face was pale and her short black hair was waving softly in the wind, but she still managed to smile a bit for the camera.

The photo, along with my camera, was confiscated by Base Security. It was as if our little undeclared war never happened.

I came to cover this remote island because I heard that a very unique squadron leader was stationed there. I didn't know he was this unique though. This bad-mouthed, good-natured, old fire-band could take the greenest of rookies and forge them into a fearsome fighter pilot… of course, that possibility vanished with today's encounter. The only crew Bartlett had left was Second Lieutenant Nagase, and the few pilots that happened to be on the ground that day, one of them being my sister. Captain Bartlett was leaning back in a chair staring up at the ceiling. I wondered what could be on his mind, what with everything that happened today. He sighed and sat up as the last pilots came in and sat down.

"I know you don't like this, but we're short on people. Starting tomorrow, all you nuggets are gonna be sittin' alert. If we launch, stay glued to me up there." he ordered. "Nagase?"

"Sir," she replied with a respectful nod.

"You're flying number two on my wing. Gotta keep an eye on you or who knows what you'll get yourself into." he told her. She looked slightly embarrassed, and at the same time furious. I couldn't tell. My sister, Elizabeth, was a rookie fighter pilot although everyone said she didn't seem like a rookie fighter pilot by the way she flew. She was one of the reasons I came to cover this island as well. I didn't get to see her much ever since she became a fighter pilot. Her callsign was Blaze, which she preferred to be called by now.

Blaze and Nagase were sitting next to each other for they were best friends. Diagonal from Blaze and Nagase was Chopper, the pilot that all girls on base went crazy about. Blaze was actually the only girl that didn't flirt with him, well at least not obviously. You could tell Chopper liked her. I bet for the precise reason she didn't go crazy over him. He wouldn't tell me if he liked her or not (probably because we're best friends. Did I mention that?). He gave her a look I had never seen him give to any other girl (and trust me, there were _tons_ of girls). Chopper and I had been best friends since we were 15 so I knew when he liked a girl. I always thought he was the perfect guy for my sister because they were a lot alike in many ways.

Anyway, he made a sound that made Blaze look over her shoulder and then he mouthed something. She hurried and put her hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing out loud. Her face had turned a bright red. We all got up to go to the briefing room. Chopper was talking to Blaze and she was laughing very hard.

* * *

****Blaze****

"At ease people, but don't get too comfortable! It's a grave situation for all of us right now," the Base Commander, Orson Perrault, shouted. I had just entered the briefing room, upon an announcement that the Wardog Squadron, the squadron I had recently been assigned to, was to report to the briefing room immediately. I sat down next to Second Lieutenant Alvin H. Davenport, callsign Chopper. To his right was Captain Bartlett, and to the right of Captain Bartlett was Nagase, and to Nagase's right was Albert Genette, my brother. He was a journalist who came here to do a story on my Captain.

I had heard things about Chopper (mostly from girls that had dated him), saying he was so cute and funny and smart. I couldn't help but agree with them. Although I don't think cute is the right word, I think it's more like hot! I couldn't tell if he liked me though. One of the things I liked about him was he was hilarious, in my opinion at least. Not even two minutes had I sat down that my stomach hurt from laughing so hard. The Base Commander looked over our way with a look of disgust on his face so I hurried and shut my mouth, trying to suppress the laughter that was creeping up my throat. Chopper was whispering something into my ear and the moment the Base Commander turned his head away, I burst into a silent fit of laughter. Chopper couldn't help but be amused at my face because apparently it had turned pretty red. I figure that's from trying not to laugh. He started to laugh quietly too. Bartlett, Nagase, and Genette looked over. All of them chuckled. I was wondering whether it was because of how red my face was, or for some other reason... Finally, I regained my composure, but I couldn't look at Chopper for the rest of the time.

"Let's get this briefing started," The Base Commander shouted. The lights dimmed and everyone became quiet, then the briefing began.

"Another Aircraft of unknown origin has entered Osean Federation Airspace. We have confirmed the target type as a strategic recon plane flying at very high altitude. Despite our repeated warnings, it continued to penetrate our ADEZ and was fired upon by Osean Coastal Defense Force SAMs. We believe one of our SAMs damaged the unknown plane, but did not destroy it. Radar shows that the aircraft is currently losing altitude, and is attempting to egress feet wet towards the ocean. Intercept this target and force it to land for Identification. Do not fire upon this aircraft until further orders are transmitted."

Operation: Lagoon

Location: Cape Landers

Date: 2010/09/24

Time: 0854 Hrs.

I followed Captain Bartlett to the hangar where he assigned Nagase, Chopper, and me to a plane. All of us, except Bartlett, got the F-5E. Bartlett chose his regular plane, an F-4G, It had an "Ace" card on the side with a sword going through the middle of the heart. I wanted to ask him about it, but refrained. I recall hearing about him having a lady friend over in Yuktobania. She broke his heart during the war fifteen years ago. I wondered if that had something to do with his callsign. It made sense to me at least but I knew better than to ask him what it meant.

I got in my plane and pulled out of the hangar. Genette got in my plane this time as he was to be my RIO. My regular RIO had been injured in a car wreck on her way to the airport to come back here after being on leave. I was behind Nagase, her callsign was Edge. Here, just so you don't get confused, here are all of the Wardog Squadron's callsigns:

Bartlett: HeartBreak1 or Wardog 1

Nagase: Edge or Wardog 2

Alvin: Chopper or Wardog 3

Me: Blaze or Kid or Wardog 4

I watched the Captain take off. It was a beautiful take-off. Smooth as could be. Chopper's was just as good and same with Nagase. When it was my turn to take-off, I hesitated. This was my first sortie. What if I made a fool of myself up there, in front of my squadron? What if they laughed at my face saying I was awful? What if I didn't come back?

"Blaze, what's takin' you so long?" Chopper asked.

"Just making sure all the systems are functioning. I'm good, I'll be up soon." I replied. And after that last message I was off, full throttle. The ocean and palm trees zipped past me and when I was finally up in the air, I waited for the Control Tower to tell me that my altitude restrictions were canceled.

"Blaze! Altitude restrictions canceled. Return to your mission." said the Control Tower, and I raced off to my position.

"This is captain of Wardog Squadron, we are approaching the target," Bartlett announced as we flew in standard formation. I, being the rookie of the squadron, was Wardog Four. I was the one that everyone was allowed to pick on. I'm used to it, don't get me wrong. I have an older brother and while we love each other dearly, we used to have fights that put WWE Smackdown wrestlers to shame.

"This is AWACS, callsign Thunderhead. Roger, bring the target to the ground. Do not Fire at the target. Repeat, do not fire at the target."

"You got that, nuggets?" Bartlett demanded roughly.

"Wardog two roger!" Nagase replied.

"Wardog three roger!" Chopper said likewise.

There was a pause and I was wondering what was taking Bartlett so long to respond to Nagase and Chopper when he said, "...Wardog 4? Hellooo? Can you hear me, kid? You better be markin' our tail, Girl!"

Hastily I said, "I'm right behind you Captain."

"Looks like you're confident, at least. Don't get separated from me," Bartlett ordered.

"Yes sir!"

I was making sure I was sticking to Captain Bartlett's tail, while trying not to stay close, in case we had to make a sharp turn. I didn't want to be the one that caused a major accident because that would majorly suck, just saying. I saw Chopper do a full spin. It was a pretty cool stunt but I wasn't sure why he was doing it. There was no one to here worth impressing. I knew Chopper personally because he was Genette's best friend in high school. Nagase knew him because of me and she had been on Sand Island longer than I had but not by much. She graduated high school early and went to the Air Force Academy early. We were roommates and she graduated a year before me. Let me just say, the last year was hell without my best friend. But that's not my point. My point is Nagase could really care less what fancy tricks Chopper was doing. Bartlett was Bartlett. The only person that impressed him was himself.

"Lieutenant Alvin H. Davenport, stop doing tricks and trying to impress Blaze," Bartlett said. I coughed from the surprise of the statement.

"I was doing it for fun sir," Chopper defended.

"Lieutenant, I may be old, but I'm not senile," Bartlett told him sarcastically. "You were trying to impress her. Now stop showing off and stick to my tail."

I could not believe the Captain had just said that! Chopper wasn't doing that to show off… was he? I smacked myself mentally on the head. Well, more like my helmet. Chopper didn't need to do anything to impress me. Of course, I would never show that something impressed me. It was my nature. It always had been.

"Man, I'm glad you drew the short straw instead of me!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Oh be quiet!" I snapped. "It's not like I had a choice of what position I was in."

"Don't count on it," Chopper said with a laugh.

"I know, I know," I said grumpily.

"Second Lieutenant Alvin H. Davenport, zip it! You need a nickname, too?" Bartlett inquired.

"I respectfully ask to be called 'Chopper,' sir. I'm afraid I may not be able to respond to any other moniker."

"Hmm…" Bartlett seemed to contemplate what Chopper had said. "That does fit you well... I've got a better name for you but I'll keep it to myself. Okay?"

"Aw, cut me some slack man!" Chopper said.

I couldn't help but chuckling; I heard Nagase laughing snickering, too. The constant bickering between the Captain and Chopper was too funny. The Captain was _always_ picking on Chopper and I have to admit, I kind of felt bad for him. But then again, he did deserve it half the time… most of the time… all the time.

I looked around trying to find the unidentified aircraft. My head was on a swivel constantly. I looked at the clouds while I was at it. They looked unforgiving. Great…

"Tally Ho, we've got company, let's go. You're forbidden to fire until I give permission, understand?" Bartlett questioned seriously.

"Roger that sir," I answered.

"Good girl. Alright, where's Motormouth Chopper?"

"Wha...? That's your name for me?" Chopper asked incredulously. I started laughing along with Nagase.

"You've got a knack for comic dialogue. Would you mind sending the surrender request for me?"

"Oh no, please, age before beauty," Chopper responded.

"I'm real shy around strangers you know..." Bartlett trailed off. Chopper knew he was cornered and that there was no way out of this.

"Chopper, you're not going to win against Bartlett. Thought I would let you in on that little secret," Nagase pointed out.

Chopper mumbled something that none of us understood. "Sheesh. Testing, testing... Attention, unidentified aircraft. Set your course for our beacon immediately.

"Good!" Bartlett praised.

"Uh... we will direct you to the nearest airfield. Lower your gear if you understand," Chopper ordered.

"Warning! We have four high-speed bogeys inbound," Thunderhead warned suddenly.

"Great…" Chopper muttered.

"Approaching unknown aircraft bearing 280, altitude 6,000! Hold your fire until further orders!" Thunderhead informed.

"Even better…" I grumbled.

"Crossing the pond to fly cover for their spy plane, huh? Now there's a fighter pilot worth his wings," Bartlett said to no one in particular. "Enemy inbound bearing 280! Head on."

"I see them," I said.

"Me too," Nagase added.

I was starting to get more nervous than I already was. Would they start firing at us? I pondered on this question. They shouldn't. If they were just flying cover for their spy plane, they would just want to scare us out of the area. Wouldn't they? Then again, we had no idea whom we were fighting. They could have completely different engagement rules then Osea.

"You're not to fire until I say it's okay, got me?" Bartlett queried sternly.

"Yes sir," I answered immediately. Bartlett was not someone whose bad list I wanted to be on.

"Good girl," Bartlett said. "What about you two, Nagase, Chopper?"

"Yes sir," Nagase replied.

"Ditto," Chopper chirped.

"You did not just say 'ditto,' did you?" Bartlett had a warning note in his tone. If that had been directed like me, I would've been shaking life a leaf.

"Of course not sir. Blaze, why did you say that?" Chopper asked defensively.

"Hey!" I protested vehemently.

"Chopper, don't say "ditto" again," Bartlett warned. I could've sworn I heard Chopper gulp…

I could see the targets on my radar, they were getting closer. I was nervous, and at the same time excited. I was nervous because this might be my actual first battle and excited because I could show what I could do. All of a sudden, my warning signal went off. What the hell was going on? They weren't supposed to be firing!

"Heads up! They're firing on us!" Chopper shouted.

"Wardog Squadron, weapons safe! Hold your fire until further orders!" Thunderhead told us.

"Oh, come on! Those aren't blanks they're firing out there!" Chopper griped.

**MISSION UPDATE**

"Shut your mouth and fire back!" Bartlett barked.

"Captain Bartlett, this is Thunderhead. You are violating direct orders!"

"Shove it! I'm not gonna watch anymore of my pilots die!" I was rooting for Bartlett. I respected Thunderhead but he didn't know what was going on; he wasn't the one getting fired at. He had no idea what the actual danger was.

"Edge, engaging!"

"We're gonna shoot them all down, Kid!" Bartlett proclaimed.

"We sure are!" I agreed, because honestly, it wasn't like I could say "No we're not!" I don't think that would be a good answer to give my captain now would it?

I was right about the clouds looking unforgiving. It had started to rain, enough to make visibility difficult. I liked rain except when I was in a life and death situation. Then I didn't like it so much, you know?

I looked around to see where the closest enemy plane was. It was right behind me!

"Dammit!" I exclaimed involuntarily.

I couldn't refrain. Then I remembered something from a movie (yes, a movie). It was _Top Gun _that I saw this. Tom Cruise (who played Maverick who is so hot in the movie!) brought the MiG in closer and right before the MiG was about to fire, he slammed on his brakes, he went up, the MiG shot past, and then he went behind the MiG. I didn't know if it would work but I was going to give it a shot. I started flying straight forward.

"What the hell are you doing Blaze?" Chopper demanded, flying towards me.

"I'm bringing it in closer," I stated with finality in my voice.

"You're gonna do what?" Chopper yelped.

I chuckled. That was the exact line that Tom Cruise's RIO said when Tom told him he was bringing the MiG in closer. I waited for the exact moment I would have to pull up. It wasn't helping that Chopper wouldn't shut up. He's my best friend and all but sometimes he doesn't know when to shut up!

"Blaze! He's gonna get a missile lock on you! Get the hell out of there!" Chopper yelled.

"Chopper, I know what I'm doing!" I snapped lightly. That was actually a lie. I really didn't know what I was doing. I was just winging my way through this, probably not the best idea since I'm a rookie.

I heard my missile warning go off and I slammed on the brakes and went up while the plane shot past me. I hurried and got my plane in full throttle to catch up with the plane. It was now trying to shake me off but I kept it in my view for a long time. Finally, I was able to get a missile lock. It looked good so I fired. BINGO! I hit the plane on its left wing. I could see it falling helplessly towards the ocean. I did a sharp turn to get the next enemy plane. I got a missile lock on it and fired. I hit it.

"Yahoo!" I laughed.

"You're crazy! Outta your mind!" Chopper told me drolly.

"Yes… yes I am. And it explains why we're friends," I observed.

"Agreed, and you know, most people wouldn't agree to that," Chopper pointed out.

"Blaze isn't like most people," Nagase countered.

"True, very true," Chopper concurred.

"I'm hoping you mean that in a good way?" I said.

"Of course we do Blaze," Nagase assured.

"We wouldn't mean it in any other way," Chopper added.

"Well I know Nagase wouldn't," I said.

"Hey! What about me?" Chopper argued.

"What about you?" I asked innocently, knowing full well it would drive him nuts.

"You know exactly what I mean!"

"Chopper, stop flirting with her. You have some enemies to shoot down," Bartlett ordered.

I laughed because Chopper always got in trouble. Never did Nagase or I get in trouble, only Chopper. If it had been anyone but Bartlett, Chopper would've argued with him and most likely win, but this was Bartlett. No one ever won against him. If someone did beat Bartlett, I would either like to shake their hand or run away from them very fast. I still haven't decided.

"You mind if I grab this kill? I will, you know," Chopper said.

"Go ahead," Bartlett told him.

"Wardog Squadron, weapons safe! Hold your fire until further orders!" Thunderhead barked; the statement made me snort.

"Yeah Right! Like we're gonna listen to you! We're getting fired at right now, moron!" I thought. Was he insane? I think someone must've conked him on the head when he was a baby. Did he not see that we were being fired at right now? I mean seriously! Even I wasn't that thick headed.

"Turning to engage bandits," Nagase said.

"Whew! Dogfighting sucks, man!" Chopper said with a whistle.

"You said it!" Nagase said.

"My senses are all numb. I don't even have time to be afraid," Chopper muttered to no one in particular.

"Chopper! You have an enemy on your tail!" I warned. Chopper swore colorfully.

"Hang on, I'm coming!" I told him. I flew behind the enemy plane trailing Chopper. I kept trying to get a lock on him but the enemy was pulling maneuvers that made it impossible for me to get a missile lock. Needless to say I was getting frustrated.

"Don't let him get away. Aim straight!" Bartlett instructed.

"Yes, sir," I replied.

"Hold your fire," Thunderhead commanded, although it didn't sound like he really meant it. He was probably sick of us not listening to him.

I turned around to see Nagase and the Captain shoot down a bandit. I couldn't help but think how great of a pilot the captain was. All of his movements were graceful and fierce and mine were… not to put it nicely.

"My only regret... is not being able to fly with a captain with a sunnier disposition," Chopper said sounding deceptively upset.

"Get used to it son, because you'll be in my squadron for a long time."

"Wardog, I ordered weapons safe for all aircraft. Follow orders and hold your fire," Thunderhead demanded. Naturally, none of us listened.

"Blaze! Watch out! You have a bandit on your tail, he's firing!" Chopper warned.

"Damn, I can't shake him off! Chopper, come get him off me!" I urged, sounding somewhat frantic.

"Okay, I'm coming! Hold on!"

I tried to shake it off but the plane wouldn't leave. I turn around to see where it was and all I see is a great ball of fire falling towards the dark ocean. I turned my head even more to see Chopper doing a spin in the air.

"Yahoo! Bandit's off your tail Blaze," Chopper announced cheerfully.

"Thanks Chopper," I said with a sigh of relief.

"You're welcome."

"How many more planes?" I asked.

"I'm not sure. Everything is so jumbled…" Nagase muttered.

We're all in the same sky, but we can never see each other eye to eye," Chopper said.

"That was a very profound statement coming from you," I said.

"I'm not sure if you're complimenting me or severely insulting my intelligence," Chopper acknowledged.

"Take it as a compliment even though it was both."

"I knew you were insulting me."

"See? You are smart," I said, smirking even though he couldn't see it.

"Shut up," He snapped lightly.

"Do not fire at the target. Repeat, do not fire at the target," Thunderhead said. Seriously, when was this guy going to figure out that we weren't going to 'not fire at the target'? We were getting shot at. I don't think any squadron would let themselves be fired at.

"It's a bit late for that," Chopper noted.

"No kidding," I said with a humorless chuckle. I did a 180° turn and engaged yet another bandit. How many did they have? I counted at least three more enemy planes we had to shoot down, not including the one I had engaged. I fired. The missile missed. Well, I guess you can't get lucky every time you shoot. I took another shot and this time I hit it.

The dark water below was even scarier than the enemies I was fighting. If I bailed out, that's what I would land in, and the waters surrounding Sand Island have been known to have (ahem) shark infestations. It's not really the place you would like dropping into… just saying.

"You may fire at your own discretion," an unfamiliar voice said. What the hell? Our radio was picking up enemy transmissions.

"Enemy recon plane down!" Thunderhead pronounced.

"Aww, what a shame. Too tired to party?" Bartlett inquired sarcastically.

"Whoa! Those guys are really mad now!" Chopper exclaimed as he rolled to the left to avoid gunfire.

"I could imagine so. I mean, we are kind of shooting them down like they're flies," I pointed out nonchalantly.

"You have a point there Blaze…" Chopper said.

"I always have a point. It's just that not everyone can figure them out… myself included."

"Someone get this bandit off my tail!" Nagase suddenly shouted.

"I'm on it!" I told her. I turned my head from side to side trying to find Nagase. I finally spotted her above me through the clouds. I let them get a little bit ahead of me and then shot up through the clouds.

I steadied my plane which seemed to want to go faster. I wasn't ready to go Mach 2 yet though. I'm not saying I'll never go Mach 2, just not yet. I'm too inexperienced.

"Blaze! Where are you? You shoot it down yet?" Nagase demanded, sounding frenzied.

"Bandit's been shot down by Smokey," I chirped.

"Ahhh! _Smokey and the Bandit_! I freaking love that movie!" Chopper said while laughing.

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" Nagase questioned innocently.

"You've never seen_ Smokey and the Bandit_?" I asked incredulously.

"Ready Blaze? Best."

I didn't say anything.

"Work with me Blaze! You're supposed to say movie!"

"Okay, movie."

"Ever!" Chopper finished.

"We failed at that," I said blatantly.

"That's because you didn't catch my drift on where I was going with that."

"I still agree. Such a good movie!"

"Okay, I think I need to check it out before you two kidnap me one day and chain me to a chair and force me to watch it," Nagase said hastily.

"We would never do that!" I said.

"We would give you popcorn of course!" Chopper said as if that should've been obvious.

"Hey!" Nagase protested.

Once more, for some odd reason, the enemy transmissions went over our radio. "Request clearance to engage."

"I'll show 'em who's in command of this outfit. Just leave it to me," Bartlett growled. Can I say how glad I am he's on our side and not the enemy's?

"I shot one down!" Chopper announced.

"Nice one Chopper!" I praised.

"We're in enemy territory. Be careful," an enemy warned.

"Looks like we can hold our own out here. You guys fly better than I thought," Bartlett acknowledged. This remark made me beam. I circled around and tried to find the last enemy plane. The rain splattered onto the glass of my plane, making it extremely difficult to see. I was looking forward to a nice hot bath tonight and a good night's sleep.

I somehow spotted the last plane and shot it down.

**MISSION ACCOMPLISHED**

"All unknown bogey aircraft destroyed," Thunderhead told us.

"This is your captain. Can you hear my voice?"

"Yes sir!" We said simultaneously.

"Good, looks like we can all hear each other. You all alive? All right. Nice work, nuggets. Wardog four, you still following us? Well to commemorate the fact that we all made it out of that battle alive, I'm gonna let you keep your nickname. From now on, I'm gonna call you "Kid" no matter what. Got it? Good."

He meant me when he said this. I wonder why he was calling me "Kid?" I mean, sure he had been called that during the war fifteen years ago (he told me this when I first came on base) but why was he giving me his nickname? I've met a lot of captains and none have confused me by their ways more than Captain Bartlett. Anyways, I wasn't going to argue with him. You simply just didn't argue with Captain Bartlett.

"Man, I swear..." Chopper mumbled.

Genette had only said one word the whole time during the battle. Curious to know why, I looked behind me. He looked pretty pale (sorry Genette).

We flew back in standard formation and one by one landed. Landing was the part of flying I liked least. I never was good at landing. Originally, I was going to be a naval fighter pilot but after completely biffing the test of landing on an aircraft carrier, it was quickly decided I was _not_ going to be a naval fighter pilot.

Back in the briefing room, we received a message saying:

_Emergency transmission from central_

_1. To all Sand Island Personnel. All information regarding today's hostile encounter is to be classified._

_2. Captain Jack Bartlett is ordered to report to Base Headquarters immediately._

_Sep. 24 2010_

_Order E0111207_

_Osean Air Defense Force Central Command_

* * *

Later...

****Genette****

The whole affair with the unidentified aircraft was covered up. There was even a rumor going around that it was actually a UFO! Of course, that was just to entertain everyone. No one actually believed it… that I knew of.

Officially the world was still at peace. Having witnessed the battle myself, I wasn't allowed to leave the island.

"Why do they even bother reprimanding me anymore? I know I'm gonna be stuck at captain forever." Bartlett said, shaking his head. He stood next to me with his arms behind his back. I was sitting on a worker's bench.

"Who do you think is covering up the battle?" I asked.

"Listen, the only think across that ocean is Murska Air Base. That's Yuktobanian territory." he replied. I was curious about where he was going with this.

"But haven't we been allies with the Yukes since the war 15 years ago?" I questioned.

"Yeah, that's why we have people workin' their asses off trying to confirm what the hell's going on over there. I bet they've got hotlines ringing off the hook somewhere upstairs. The government doesn't want to get the public riled up about this, you know? But it doesn't matter, soldiers like us are too stupid to think for ourselves. So we just gotta keep our mouths shut when they tell us to. I feel kind of bad for you actually."

"It's alright; I get to be with you guys." I answered. It was the truth. I loved being with these guys. They were the closest friends I had ever had. I could see my sister all the time; I could see Chopper and hang out with him; I could see Nagase (I admit I do like her. There, I said it); I could see Bartlett and try to figure out his confusing ways; and then I could see Pops, the mechanic, who was always there when everyone else was on a sortie or asleep or just plain busy.

"Captain probably hates this more than anybody." said a familiar voice. I turned around to see Pops, one of the mechanics. I had forgotten he had been working on the plane in the hangar behind us. I figured he had been listening to this whole conversation.

"Huh?" I wanted to know what he meant.

"He used to have a lady friend over in Yuktobania." Pops explained. I turned to Captain Bartlett. Bartlett hung his head as if remembering a bad memory.

"Ah, that's nothing but an old war wound now." That was all he said about it.

I didn't question further.

* * *

****Chopper****

2300 hours

"Blaze?" I whispered out in the hallway, knocking quietly. There were footsteps coming from her room. The door opened.

"Hey Chopper." She said, yawning. "You okay?"

"Can't sleep. What're you doing?" I asked.

"I was trying to fall asleep but that wasn't going so hot, so I'm reading to see if that will work."

"Oh, I can leave if you want." I whispered.

"Oh, no, it's okay. Come and sit down." She told me, taking my hand and leading me to the couch.

" So, uh…" I didn't quite know what to say. Thankfully, she spoke first.

"Is it just me, or does it feel really late?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Actually, it is pretty late. It's 11 'o' clock." I answered.

"Ah. My clock isn't working, that's why I was wondering."

"I see, so how do you like working with the Captain Bartlett?" I asked.

"I like him, he's a good Captain." She replied. "Now, before you say anything else, I have a question. Do all the girls on base have a crush on you?"

"Would you mind if I said yes?" I asked sheepishly. I felt embarrassed talking to Blaze about this for some reason. It wasn't like she didn't know me; she knew all about my girlfriends in high school. For some reason, all my girlfriends in high school didn't like Blaze, and the feeling was mutual.

"Not at all. I kind of realized that when I came to this base. I asked for the lowdown here by one of the girls. She gave me everything I needed to know. When she told me who the cutest guy on base was, instead of _her _just telling me, about five or six more other girls joined in and told me about you. 'He's so cute', 'he always knows how to make you laugh', and 'he's so muscular.' That's just some of the things they said. You were actually playing cards with some of the other pilots on the other side of the room." She said.

"Is that why all the girls were talking to you?"

"Yes. They all kept saying all the boys on base liked me, but I seriously doubt that." She chuckled.

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

"I don't know, it's just, well, none of them have talked to me for one. Everyone except for you that is," She said.

"They're petrified to talk to you because you're the prettiest girl on base. And trust me, I'm not kidding about that," I told her. She smiled slightly.

"With so many girls that like you on base, I'm sure you must be dating one of them?" Blaze inquired.

"Not at the moment. Well, I better go," I answered smiling.

"Okay, see you tomorrow," She said. We walked to the door. Before I opened the door, I turned to look at her.

"Good night," I told her.

"Good night," She replied. I opened the door and shut it quietly. I stood there for a moment, thinking. Then I left to go to my room.

* * *

****Blaze****

The next morning I woke up in a relatively good mood for me. I'm not really an early bird person. I put on a white tank top and a pair of military camouflage trousers then left to go to the crew room. I went and got some hot tea and a donut. I plopped down on the comfy sofa and watched TV. It was always stuck on the military channel and we knew every show on there. It never bored me though because I found military history fascinating. I found it so fascinating that I didn't notice Chopper, whom I had started to like majorly, walk in.

"Enjoying the show?" He asked, putting his hands on my shoulders. I jumped and thank god I didn't have my tea in hand. Of course, I did drop my donut which didn't settle well with me.

"I was until you made me drop my donut," I retorted.

"So, it's _The History of the Osean Military_ again?"

"Yep. I don't think they get any other channels."

"Hang on a sec," Chopper told me as I set my half-eaten donut in the table, not wanting to finish eating it because I know the floors were cleaned every day but still, I didn't trust what was missed. I continued watching the TV, forcing myself not to turn around to see what Chopper was doing.

"Here you go, Blaze." Chopper handed me a donut with chocolate sprinkles… my favorite.

"Thanks Chopper! You know, you can be sweet when you want to be," I grinned.

"I'm always sweet!"

"No you're not."

"When am I not sweet?"

"When you see a guy flirting with me," I said.

"That's not true!"

"If you say so. Nagase and Cassie are the ones that told me that in the first place," I laughed.

"I have to protect you from perverted men. I remember those thirty year olds that hit on you in New Orleans that time when you, Genette, Melissa, and I went there. And I will admit I don't always like it when guys talk to you. But it's not _all_ guys. It's just _some_ guys," Chopper admitted.

"Like whom?" I inquired curiously. I didn't think we would actually start talking about this. I had just been joking.

"Let's see, um, Chives. He bugs the hell out of me. Just saying," Chopper said. "Um, well, all the others, you actually get along with and if I tell you, you'll probably talk to them more."

"I wouldn't do that… not unless you made me mad and you're practically incapable of doing that."

"Thanks Blaze."

"Shut the hell up!" Someone shouted. Chopper turned around while I peered around him. A girl named Yasmine was yelling at Tornado, the other hot shot on base besides Chopper. Chopper was much nicer and cuter though.

"Babe, it's not what it looked like," Tornado defended.

"Oh, so you _didn't_ kiss her? I saw it with my own eyes! You kissed Bailey Cohen! Don't LIE TO ME!" Yasmine warned through gritted teeth.

"_She_ kissed _me_!"

"I saw the look of surprise when she found out I was your girlfriend."

"She was surprised because she got caught!"

"You are such an f-ing liar!" Yasmine yelled as she turned on her heels and left the room. Tornado ran after her and you could hear them shouting more in the hall.

"Well, that was good entertainment. Who do you think was lying?" Chopper questioned with an amused smile.

"I think Tornado was telling the truth."

"What?" Chopper turned to look at me with a surprised expression.

"I think Tornado is telling the truth," I repeated.

"It's only because you think he's cute."

"No, it's because I know Bailey Cohen and she's a skank. Excuse my terminology. I wouldn't trust her to save my life. She's a lying little cockroach."

"What did she do?"

"You don't want to know." I did a half-hearted smile.

"I can assure you I do but since you don't want to tell me, I'll say I don't."

"Thanks Chopper," I said.

"Yo, Chopper! Would you stop flirting with Blaze and come play with us?" A guy yelled.

"Yeah, I'll be right over. And I'm not flirting with her!" Chopper replied.

"Sure you're not," The guy smirked. Chopper turned to me.

"Hey, I'll see you later. I got to go kick some ass at football."

"I'm sure you will. Have fun," I punched him playfully on the arm.

"See ya Blaze," Chopper patted me on the shoulder and left to go join his friends. I could hear them behind me giving him hell about me. I couldn't help but grin. Poor Chopper.

"I saw that."

I turned to look and there was Nagase in the doorway.

"Saw what?"

"The way you looked at him and the way he looked at you," Nagase said with an amused smirk.

"You're seeing things."

"No I'm not. You're trying not see things."

"That makes no sense. I'm blonde, you have to put things simply," I chuckled. Nagase rolled her eyes.

"What I mean is you're telling yourself you don't like him when you do," She pointed out.

"You keep on believing that," I said.

"I will. Come on, I'm watching _Smokey and the Bandit_. Want to join me?"

"Of course!" I exclaimed, leaping up. We left the crew room and on the way passed a guy named Barry Vreeland… shirtless. Okay, he looked damn good. I knew Nagase was thinking the same thing. I wished it had been Chopper we passed though. He smiled at us which we returned. It was only courteous.

"You're wishing that was Chopper, weren't you?" Nagase questioned with a hint of sarcasm.

"You're like a freaking mind reader."

"It's because you're my best friend and I know you like I know the back of my hand."

"Let's just go watch the movie," I muttered. It was creepy how well my friends knew me.

* * *

****Chopper**  
**

"Hey Chopper! Guessed who I passed in the hall?" Barry yelled.

"Who?" I shouted back.

"Blaze! You better get her while you still can because she was checking me out!"

"You're imagining things!"

"Then why did she smile at me when I walked past her?"

"Because she's from southern Osea and they're nice down there."

"Just keep on believing that."

"I will," I retorted. I used to like Barry, but now I was kind of ticked off at him. He knew I liked Blaze and I bet that was precisely the reason why he was telling me that she had just smiled at him in the hall. We lined up in the offensive formation and with a quick "Down! Set! Hike!" we started playing the game. Genette threw a beautiful pass and it was caught by a guy that went by Apollo. The name suited him because he was bright, funny, and quick, like the Sapian god was known to be like.

"Nice pass!" Apollo nodded after he had been tackled.

"Thanks," Genette said. We lined up again and this time, I ran the ball. I had been the star running back on our football team during high school and Genette had been the star quarterback. We made a hell of a good team, going all the way to state.

The game finally ended 24-14, my team winning. We went back inside and relaxed. The game had been intense but my team _always_ won. It was probably because I had been watching football since I was two.

* * *

The next day went by without a shred of excitement so, in a nutshell, I practiced some moves in the air, watched a movie, took a shower, ate dinner and went to bed. That literally was my day. End of story.

* * *

**Okay, to anyone that just read this chapter (or reread it if you found out I changed the format of it), please review! You make my day when I see the little alert from fanfiction saying I got a story review! But please, no flames.**


	3. Shore Birds 2

**Here is the third chapter. I'm just copying and pasting from the original document into different sections because I had it all in one document so it is taking forever to copy and paste and reread it and then put it on FanFiction, etc., etc., you get my point. I have to do that for five more chapters (bleh) so, enjoy!**

**(June 16, 2012 Update: I've changed the format of the story from script to dialogue.)**

* * *

****Chopper****

Once again, we were in the briefing room. I was looking for Blaze mainly because I enjoyed her company. She was sitting next to Tornado with her mouth open; she looked stunned. I took the available seat next to her. Just for your information, Tornado is a mechanic, a replacement pilot, and my rival. Whatever girl I dated, he wanted to date her and it bugged the hell out of me. If you remember me telling Blaze there are certain guys I don't like her talking to but I didn't say all of them? Well, Tornado is one of those guys. In fact, he's at the top of the list.

"I can't believe it!" she exclaimed as I was sitting down. "Oh, hi Chopper."

"Hey," I replied nonchalantly. I didn't like the look that Tornado was giving her, it seemed... too loving. Most guys liked Blaze on base. She was beautiful, smart, outgoing, witty, and other things. The list could go on and on. When Tornado and Blaze stopped talking to each other, I engaged her into a conversation, soon having her laughing uncontrollably. When she finally stopped laughing, she quickly got up to get a drink before the briefing began. Genette had been watching her and Tornado _very_ carefully. Big brother protectiveness most likely. She came back and whispered something to Genette. I could just barely hear her.

"Come to my room tonight and we'll talk about it," Blaze whispered. I just sat like nothing had happened, but I was wondering. Were they, meaning Blaze and Tornado, in cahoots with each other? I knew that it wasn't out of the question. But I thought Blaze was different, meaning I didn't think she fell for those kinds of guys. I had to know so I decided I would ask her later. Before I could continue my thoughts though, the briefing began and I focused all my attention on the screen.

"A ship of unknown origin has been detected approaching the Sand Island Coastline. We've confirmed that this ship has launched numerous, unmanned aerial vehicles probably used for a reconnaissance. The UAVs will likely return to the launch ship for retrieval after completing their spy operation. You are to halt this operation by intercepting and destroying these recon drones before they can be recovered by the ship. However, do not attack the ship until further orders are transmitted."

Operation: Gyre

Location: Sand Island

Date: 2010/09/27

Time: 1030 Hrs.

Bartlett, Genette, Blaze, Nagase and I walked out of the briefing room and towards the hangar. Bartlett didn't like to change our planes much so we were in the F-5's again. The F-5's are okay, but I like bigger planes. The F-5's are too small for my taste.

Blaze and Nagase were chatting animatedly about something that only made sense to them. I caught the words "Sodapop Curtis" and "Dallas Winston" but blocked out the rest. Whatever they were talking about, it was girl stuff and while I understood a lot about girls, I didn't necessarily understand why they argued over fictional characters.

I was halfway to the hangar when I heard soft footsteps behind me.

"Chopper!" Blaze shouted. I turned around. She had caught up to me.

"Hey, everything okay? You're real quiet… and you're never quiet," Blaze asked with a questioning smile.

"Yeah," I replied, trying to sound as if everything was normal. Obviously Blaze knew something was wrong (probably since she knew me since I was fifteen) and knew I was trying to hide it. She didn't push me though. That was one of the things I liked about her; she never pushed you if she realized you didn't want to talk about it, although this way she usually was able to get things out of people. I could never figure out how she did it. She put her hand gently on my shoulder. Her hand was really light I noticed vaguely. She said if I needed anything, to let her know. Blaze pulled her hand off my shoulder and we started to walk.

"Hey, Blaze?" I asked, turning to look at her. She stopped and looked at me. "Are you and Tornado, are you and him dating?"

"What? No! Uh- why do you ask that?" she questioned.

"It's just, well; I kind of overheard you whispering to Genette to come to your room to talk about it," I answered.

"Oh that! I promise you that Tornado and I aren't dating. Eesh, that's a thought I didn't want in my mind." She shook her head at the prospect, making me give a half smile. "Anyways, what I said to Genette, he needs a quote from me about Captain Bartlett, that's all."

"Oh, okay. I didn't know if you were going to tell him about you and Tornado, because he was watching you _very_ carefully." We started walking again.

"Yeah, he was, wasn't he? Well, if you need anything else, let me know," she told me. Blaze gently patted my shoulder, as she started to turn around her hand went down my arm and to my hand. As she was about to let go, I held her back.

"Hey, Blaze?"

"Yeah?" Blaze stopped and turned her head to look at me.

"Thanks," I said; she smiled.

"You're welcome," she replied as I let go of her hand. She walked off. I stood there for a moment, watching her walk away. She had caught up to Nagase and was now talking to her, probably about Sodapop and Dallas again. I started walking when I saw Genette. He was taking off with one of us apparently. Not that I minded. It was fun having your best friend with you.

"Hey Chopper," Genette said. He seemed rather upset about something.

"You ready?" I asked. I started walking over to my plane while talking to Genette. Genette and I hopped into my plane and I turned on the engine. It seemed like an eternity before I was on the runway. Bartlett did a regular, smooth take-off. Nagase had a smooth take-off too, although it took her longer to get in the air. Then Blaze took off. Her take-off was the best; she was in full speed, her plane lifted up gracefully, and then she went in a spiral the whole way until her altitude restrictions were canceled. She had to be dizzy after that stunt. When it was my turn, I just took- off, no fancy tricks or anything like that. I had to thrust my engine into full throttle so I could get into my position in the flight formation.

"Wardog, this is Thunderhead. Unmanned recon drones returning to spy vessel. Shoot them down before they get back to the ship."

"Sure thing. You got that gang?" Bartlett asked.

"Wardog four, roger."

"Wardog two, roger."

"Wardog three, roger."

"Alright, let's go," Bartlett said. We all put our engines in full throttle and did a 180 degree turn because the unmanned recon drones were in the opposite direction of out runway. You would think that Sand Island would have its two runways working so that we would be able to take off in the right direction. It's the smart thing to do, but then again, the people on base here aren't that bright. I would never let the top brass on base hear me say that though because I would get knocked upside the head and I really don't want that to happen. Then again, I have been known to shoot my mouth off.

"Our orders are to not fire on the ship. Understood?" Bartlett asked.

"Wardog four, roger."

"Wardog two, roger."

"Wardog three, roger."

"Good. Aim only for the recon planes," he ordered. "Show me what you've got kid!"

"And this is where the fun begins!" Blaze chirped. I heard her chuckle watched as she went to a lower altitude and speed off. I was amazed at her tenaciousness. She was very determined and headstrong, kind of like Captain Bartlett.

I could see the approaching targets and Blaze just a little ahead of us. I saw her fire her guns upon one of the targets, destroying it easily. I saw a UAV ahead of me and I got a missile lock on it. I fired and got it smack dab in the middle. They were easy to find and destroy; it was the hitting them with a gun or missile that was hard because they were so damn small! I didn't even know they made UAV's this small! What country could do that? Really, the only ones, besides Osea, that I could think of were Yuktobania and Belka, but Yuktobania was our ally, and Belka wasn't dumb enough to wage a war with Osea. I mean sure, Belka has some damn good fighter pilots but Osea is nearly fifteen times bigger than Belka _and_ Osea has a much bigger military _and_ Osea owns part of Belka now. They are not that dumb.

"How you doing, Kid? Pretty easy, huh?" Bartlett inquired.

"Yes sir," Blaze replied.

"Okay, let's hurry up and finish this," Bartlett said. I didn't need any encouragement to follow those orders.

"Guess this is a good time to have a little competition of kill scores," I suggested.

"I'm in. There are no live people in these things so I don't feel bad about it," Nagase agreed.

"Count me in too!" Blaze said.

"Hey, leave some enemies for me, alright Kid?" I told her.

"Don't count on it!" Blaze exclaimed with a laugh. I saw Blaze shoot down another aircraft right about the time I spotted another enemy aircraft; I fired and hit it. I had counted eight on my radar. Blaze had shot down two, Bartlett none because he was letting us shoot them all down. He called it practice. Nagase and I had shot down two each, meaning there were two left. It really was a competition on who could destroy the most UAV's. Somehow, I knew Blaze wouldn't let neither Nagase nor I win at this. Even when I was trying to find them, I knew I had no chance against Blaze. She was too good. She would be an Ace one day with the way she flew and her ability to adapt to her surroundings in an instant. That is what made Belkan pilots so good come to think of it. They could adapt to anything at anytime anywhere.

"The targets are small, so aim carefully," Bartlett advised.

"I know what you mean..." Nagase muttered.

"Same here. Geez they're too small! Hey, Genette, how are you holding up?" Blaze questioned.

"Um, he's holding up but I don't think he can speak right now," I replied. I had to reply for him because while he was holding up, my flying was still scaring the hell out of him, enough to where if he spoke, unpleasant things would come out of his mouth.

I was wondering how many more planes there were to shoot down. I didn't realize I had one right in front of me until I almost crashed into it. That's what I get for thinking too much. I have a tendency to do that.

I had to make a sharp swerve to miss it. I did a circle and got behind it. I had to aim carefully. When I got within range, I fired but I couldn't hit it. At the same time, Blaze shot two missiles at two UAV's coming her way. One hit, the other didn't. Actually, one of the missiles was aimed at the one I had been firing at and her missile didn't hit it either.

"They're too damn small!" Blaze said, making an aggravated sound.

"Amen to that one," Nagase agreed wholeheartedly.

"You better not get sloppy just because they're unmanned drones," Bartlett warned. Yeah, I might not act like it in my conversations with Bartlett, but he scares the hell out of me.

"I'm glad there aren't any live people in these things, aren't you?" I asked.

"Yeah..." Blaze said softly. I was pretty sure her mind started to wonder about the scenario if there were actual people in the planes. Admittedly, my mind started to wander along that same path, and it wasn't a pretty picture.

"So we can just shoot 'em down and not worry about it," I said cheerfully.

"UAV destroyed. That's all of them," Blaze announced, swerving her plane to get behind Bartlett.

"I thought you were going to leave some for me," I complained.

"I told you not to count on it, and you did," Blaze said, laughing. "Sorry, Chopper!

"I should've known you wouldn't let Nagase or I win at a kill score competition," I muttered.

"Aw, it someone's feeling hurt?" Blaze said, mimicking a baby's voice.

"Shut up," I told her. All she did was laugh.

"I knew beforehand. Chopper, if you mention any type of air competition, Blaze will most likely win," Nagase pointed out.

"She'll win at everything except basketball and golf," I corrected.

Blaze chuckled. "Very true. I can't hit a golf ball to save my life. Same with shooting a basket. Now, give me a soccer ball or football, and prepare to be D-E-M-O-L-I-S-H-E-D! Ask my friends, I kick super hard."

"Yeah, I know. I still have a bruise from when you kicked me two weeks ago," Nagase griped.

"What did you do Nagase to incur Blaze's wrath?" I questioned.

Sheepishly, Blaze explained. "She scared the hell out of me and I didn't know it was her so I whirled around and slammed her in the shin. Sorry Nagase!"

"No problem, just remind me to never do that again!"

"I'd say I'd help out with that but I don't think you'll need reminding," I said.

"Okey doke, Nagase. And I really am sorry about that," Blaze apologized.

"I know."

"Well, this is a moving conversation," I observed.

"Chopper?" Blaze inquired curiously.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

"That's hard to do."

"You've said that before," Nagase noted in annoyance.

"It seemed worth repeating," I replied casually. Silence ensued for about a minute. None of us could go without talking for very long… probably because we were best friends and whatnot. I loved teasing Blaze and Nagase because they were one of the few girls that could actually stump me into what I was going to say next. Not many girls could do that so I had to give them credit for that.

"Are those drones remote-controlled?" Nagase asked.

"It's a little late to ask that Nagase since Blaze shot down the last drone about a minute ago but yes, I think they were," I said.

Suddenly, Thunderhead shouted, "Warning! Multiple bogeys inbound, closing fast."

"Same attack axis as before?" Bartlett wondered aloud.

"280. Same vector as last time," Thunderhead affirmed.

"How many planes they got lined up at the border?" Bartlett grumbled.

"Too many?" Blaze suggested. I was inclined to agree with her.

"We've only got four on our side... we better abort. This way," Bartlett ordered. "Think you can stick to my tail?"

We all agreed.

I tried to find the Captain, but it took me a while. Because of this, I lagged farther behind than the others and the enemy planes were fast approaching. I saw the Captain far ahead and I put my plane into full throttle but it was no use. The enemy planes had had too much of a head start though and one latched onto me. The other three moved forward and stalked Bartlett, Blaze, and Nagase. I don't know why, but I felt a sudden surge of protectiveness for Blaze. I had never encountered something like that before. What the hell was happening? I wanted to destroy that plane if it was the last thing I did, anything to keep Blaze alive. Perhaps it was because she was the youngest of all of us, ironic since she was probably the best flyer next to Bartlett. However, I don't think it was her youth that bothered me.

I tried to outrun the enemy behind me but it was running me down.

"I can't make it. They're running me down!" I announced, trying to evade the one following me. Unfortunately, the plane followed my every move. I used every trick in the book and every trick in my mind to out-maneuver this plane but it was sticking to me like a leech… a very annoying, very ugly leech.

"Oh, you're takin' the trail position today, Rock 'n' roller?" Bartlett asked sarcastically. If I wasn't panicking over the possibility that my ass might be floating in the ocean below in a few seconds, I would've made a retort back. "Hold on, I'll clear you're six 'o' clock for you."

"Dammit, why'd I have to draw the short straw today?" I growled. I saw the Captain and Nagase go in opposite directions while Blaze went up and did a half circle. The plane following Blaze lost her trail because she was already almost going Mach One and she was in her "zone" as I called it. When she was in her "zone," she was unstoppable. Sure, you might be able to hit her, but you couldn't actually shoot her down to save your life.

I finally noticed that I had not one, not two, but _three_ freaking planes trailing me. Were they singling me out or what? I remembered Bartlett saying last mission that it was probably because I was the only one they could hear. Now I was wondering if there was some ugly truth behind that statement.

**MISSION UPDATE**

"Everyone else, quit gawkin' and start shootin'!" Bartlett barked. None of us needed any encouragement.

"Yes sir," Blaze replied, sounding strangely nervous.

"Don't worry. Just remember your training," Bartlett said, his voice surprisingly kind.

"I will sir."

The captain shot down the enemy plane closest to me. Two of the planes bailed out on me and got behind Blaze. Both were gaining up on her. I have to say, she was doing some amazing maneuvers.

"Captain Bartlett!" Thunderhead yelled. Thunderhead seemed a little exasperated from trying to get Captain Bartlett to obey commands. Just a helpful piece of info, Bartlett listens to one person… himself. Good luck to anyone trying to get Bartlett to do what they want.

"Break right, bandit in the captain's tail. I'm on it," Nagase informed.

"All Right. Not Bad," Bartlett complimented.

"Enemy fire confirmed, turning to engage," Nagase added. "Edge, engaging."

"Heartbreak 1 engaging."

"Blaze engaging!"

"Chopper, engaging!"

Genette had started to look around; I guess he felt a little better. He informed me that Nagase was trying to shoot down the bandit on the captain's tail, and Blaze and the Captain were trailing one of the best flying enemy planes we had seen today. I saw Blaze and the Captain fire a missile simultaneously at the plane and hit it. The plane went down in flames. Then I saw Nagase shoot down the one that was on the captain's tail. I would've fired at the one behind the Captain if Nagase hadn't gotten behind it instead.

"Wardog, you are not cleared to engage at this time!" Thunderhead tried to point out, but at this point, none of us were really listening.

I saw a bandit right in front of me. I got a missile lock and fired. It was good.

"We're gonna shoot them all down, Kid!" Bartlett declared.

"Yes sir!" Blaze answered enthusiastically.

"Enemy Squadron has commenced counterattack," an enemy plane said. What the hell was it with our radio picking up enemy transmissions?

"Of course we're commencing a counterattack! You're attacking us! It's not like we're just going to let you guys shoot us down," Blaze ranted.

"You're… determined," I said.

"Chopper, can people really be that stupid?" Blaze asked in exhaustion.

"Yes. The enemy just proved that," I said.

"You have a point," she agreed.

"You splashed an enemy without permission to engage? What are you thinking, Wardog?" Thunderhead demanded. Did this guy have an off switch? He did not shut up! You would think by now he'd figure out we were going to do what we thought was best.

The Captain had engaged a bandit and shot it down. Nagase fired at another plane but missed. The planes were quick and hard to track, let alone shoot down.

"Back again huh? Hope you're ready to fight this time," Bartlett growled.

"Fox Two! Fox Two!" Nagase announced.

It was incredible how many planes they had. I mean, it seemed that every time one of us shot down one, two more appeared!

"Where'd they come from? Are they with that other group we ran into?" I questioned.

"Who knows anymore," Nagase replied.

Suddenly, my missile alert went off, making my pulse jump. In my flipped out state, I exclaimed, "Dammit Kid! Get the hell over here and help me out!"

"Hey Kid, go over and help Mr. Rock 'n' Roll there," Bartlett commanded.

"Roger! And Chopper, if you need my help, you don't have to yell at me you know," Blaze told me with a laugh.

Sheepishly, I apologized. "Sorry, Blaze."

Her voice had had a teasing note in it but I hadn't meant to talk to Blaze like that. However, I dare you to try and keep your cool when you're in a life and death situation. It took her a little while to get behind the plane since it was weaving all over the place. Somehow, she had managed to get behind it. I had to keep swerving and doing loops because the stupid plane kept getting a missile lock on me and making my warning alarms go off like mad and making me rather annoyed and short-tempered.

"Shot the last one down, finally," Blaze said with a sigh.

**MISSION ACCOMPLISHED**

"Picture Clear. All hostile aircraft are destroyed," Thunderhead informed.

I was relieved that this mission was over, but I still had a feeling that the enemy was about to do something. They had something up their sleeve because I had the feeling this enemy was smart. They had had enemy planes waiting for us, didn't they? A smart enemy would have a backup plan in case their other backup plan went wrong. At least, that's what I would do.

"Warning still in effect. Keep your heads on a swivel," Thunderhead warned.

What did I tell you? I _told _you they had something up their sleeve!

"Watch out Nagase! They're down below us, too!" Bartlett shouted, jerking his plane in her direction.

The enemy ship had fired a missile at Nagase. She kept trying to shake it off, but it wouldn't leave her. I heard her groan in exasperation. I saw the Captain get behind her, making the missile lock onto him! Then, I'm not sure if she meant to do this or not, but Blaze flew right past the control tower on the enemy ship at over 400 knots. I could just imagine them cussing at her right now. I couldn't help but laughing and she was laughing too. It was a joyful, in-your-face-there's-nothing-you-can-do-to-me kind of laugh. It was pretty contagious.

"GREAT BALLS OF FIRE!" She yelled.

"Blaze, you're my hero!" I declared. Obviously, she had done that on purpose (and Top Gun was on her mind… again. What was it with her and _Top Gun_? I mean seriously? Okay, yes, it's a seriously good movie but why did she love it so much?)

My attention focused on the Captain; he was still trying to evade the missile. He swerved from left to right and then did a 180 degree turn. I swore when the missile hit the tip of the captain's right wing.

"Captain!" Nagase exclaimed worriedly.

"Hey! Save the waterworks. I'm just gonna bail out here. We can replace these things. It's gettin' the crew back alive that counts. Make a call to scramble the search and rescue chopper and my reserve plane, okay?" Bartlett said.

"Y-yes sir," Blaze stammered.

The captain was really close to the ocean. His plane was tilting towards the right, the side with his damaged wing. Then he bailed, just before the plane crashed into the ocean.

"Warning! Warning! Wardog Squadron, return to base immediately!" Thunderhead ordered.

"But the rescue helicopter isn't here yet," Nagase protested.

"Leave that to the rescue team. Refuel and rearm at the base, and get back in the air immediately! The enemy has declared war on us!"

"What?" Blaze and I demanded at the same time. Naturally, no one answered us. How typical…

Back in the briefing room, we were debriefed on the mission.

Clearing his throat, the briefer began. "The reconnaissance UAV and the unidentified fighter aircraft that bounced us during the mission have been shot down. The country of origin of the ship is still unknown but has ceased operations in our maritime defense zone and has departed the area. Once we sanitize our coastal waters, we will conduct a search and rescue mission for Captain Bartlett, who was shot down. Furthermore, the Union of Yuktobanian Republics has officially declared war on the Osean Federation."

* * *

After the absolutely joyful news of our biggest ally declaring war on us (not!), I went to my room and showered because I had sweated way too much during that mission and I'm so sorry if this is too much information but I stank.

I lay down on my bed, and stared at the top bunk. There weren't many personnel on base so all of us got our own room. It was rather nice come to think of it.

Anyways, I thought about everything. Would they find Bartlett? God, I hoped they did. The suspense was killing me! I never have been a patient person. Who would take over for him until then? It would probably be Nagase because she was the most experienced out of all of us. But why not Blaze? She had the best fighting record on base. She would be a fantastic choice! Hell, she could beat anyone on this base at a battle. However, knowing the Base Commander, he would call for someone from the mainland, someone who had experience in the field already and blah, blah, blah. As long as it wasn't Commander Ford, I was fine. He hated my guts and would do anything to torture me. It's a long story I would rather not go into.

Finally, not being able to fall asleep even though I was completely exhausted, I left my room and headed to the crew's lounge. I went to the coffee/tea machine and made myself some tea. I'm not a big fan of coffee. Walking over to the TV, I switched it on and plopped down. The same channel was on as always, the military channel. This was on the Belkan War so I was immediately interested. They showed pictures of the Demon Lord taken by people he had shot down. If there was one thing that we knew for sure about the Demon Lord, it was that he was male. No one knew where he went after the war except possibly only the highest military personnel and the President of Ustio and Osea at the time of the Belkan War. Perhaps he had gone and visited with his family. Or maybe he was traveling the world.

"Chopper?" Blaze's voice came from behind me. I turned around. She had bed-head and some of the eyeliner she wore was smeared under her eyes.

"Hey, Blaze, you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'm damn tired but I can't fall asleep so I came here to get some tea. It always helps me fall asleep, well, besides milk and cookies." She grinned tiredly. Blaze walked over to the coffee/tea machine and started making herself some tea. I got up and leaned against the counter. She was like me, not a big fan of coffee unless it was mixed with something else.

"You're worried about Bartlett aren't you?" I said. It was more of a statement than a question but Blaze nodded in response.

"I hope they find him. I mean, I know that people going out on missions and not coming back in the military is normal, but once you get used to Bartlett, you don't want anyone else for your Captain. You know?" Blaze looked at me questioningly. I knew exactly what she meant.

"I know exactly what you mean. Is that why you can't sleep?"

"Yeah, same with you I'm guessing?"

"You know me too well," I smiled. Blaze finished making her tea and we went to the couch. We sat on opposite ends so we could stretch our legs out.

"So, why are you so interested in the Demon Lord?" I asked, taking a sip of my tea. Blaze took a deep sigh as if contemplating on whether she should say something or not.

"You don't have to tell me," I told her. Blaze looked up at me, her eyes showing confliction.

"No, it's not that… Chopper, what I'm about to tell you, it is top secret. Hell, I'm not even supposed to know," Blaze said seriously. I was immediately interested. I knew almost everything about Blaze and Genette's life.

"I promise on my life not to tell anyone," I assured her. Blaze looked around the room, as if checking for eavesdroppers.

"The Demon Lord, I know him," Blaze finally said quietly. I had been taking a sip of my drink and nearly spewed it out everywhere. Thankfully, I caught myself before that happened.

"What?" I exclaimed in a hushed voice. "You know him?"

"Not only do I know him… I'm related to him," She said.

"Well that explains why you can fly so well. So how are you related to him?"

"He's my uncle. I remember him coming to my house and him taking us into the living room. He told us everything… well, almost everything: why he hadn't been to our house for years and why he had not communicated with to let us know if he was all right or not. He had been doing it because he had been ordered by the government not to tell anyone what he was doing. He didn't tell my parents all of it. Later, when I was fifteen, you were seventeen and so was Genette, he told Genette and me who he really was. He made us swear that we wouldn't tell anyone, not even our parents. He trusted us… I don't know why." Blaze finished the sentence with the thought that I guessed had been on her mind for a long time.

"Is he still…" I didn't want to ask if he was still alive because I didn't want to sound rude.

"Alive? Yes, he's still alive. He lives in southern Osea because he wanted to get as far away from Belka as possible. I personally can't blame him for that choice."

"Me neither. You know, Blaze, I always did think you were like him. I bet he told you and Genette because he knew one of you would go into the military."

"What do you mean I'm like him?"

"Your flying style is very similar to his, that's all," I said.

"I'll never fly as well as him," She said with a chuckle.

"No, you won't."

"Excuse me?" She looked taken aback, almost angry.

"My wager is you'll become a better fighter pilot than him," I said hastily with a smile. "Why do you think Bartlett started calling you Kid?"

"Thanks Chopper," Blaze said, smiling. "And I don't know. Why?"

"Because he believes you're destined to be the next great pilot of the Osean Air Force. Not just a great pilot, but an Ace. You know his nickname used to be 'Kid', right?"

"No I didn't, and I won't be an Ace. Do you know how an Ace flies like?"

"Just like you do. Blaze, you haven't seen the way you fly in battle. It's scary almost."

"Chopper, how is it scary?" Blaze looked at me amusedly, but I was dead serious.

"You can adapt to a change in battle in an instant. You can shoot down enemy planes from positions that are thought to be impossible. You're an amazing fighter pilot Blaze, I hope you know that." Blaze just looked at me. I could tell that she was thinking about what I had said.

"You're the same way Chopper, so is Nagase. I'm nothing special," Blaze replied.

"Blaze, you're too modest sometimes. Admit it. Neither Nagase nor I can adapt to the battle as quickly as you can. It's scary Blaze, but in a good way. You definitely inherited your uncle's talent," I told her with a grin. Blaze grinned back while she shook her head.

"I don't believe you but I know I won't win this argument," Blaze yawned.

"Are you tired now?"

"Yeah, I think the tea and the talking helped."

"Same here. Come on, I'll walk you to your room," I offered, leading her towards the door with my hand lightly placed on her back. We walked in a comfortable silence to her room.

"Thanks for walking me to my room," Blaze said as she smiled. She opened her door and turned around as she walked in her room.

Hesitantly, she said, "Chopper, I don't know why, but I have a feeling that we're not going to see Bartlett for a long time."

She smiled a sad smile and said good bye one last time before shutting her door. I walked back to my room and lay down on my bed. Blaze was unfortunately right. I didn't know how I knew, but I did. I had gotten the same feeling too. None of us were going to see Captain Bartlett for a long time. Blaze wouldn't tell Nagase about her feeling because she knew Nagase wouldn't believe her.

Blaze… Damn, she was amazing! I've encountered tons of girls in my life and none can even compare to Blaze. She's funny, smart, witty, clever, beautiful, kind. She's every good thing you can call a person. I wondered why I had never given serious thought about her. Then it hit me.

"Chopper," I mumbled to myself. "You can't be falling for her. She's your best friend's little sister. She's off-limits."

With that final, depressing thought, I shut my eyes and went to sleep.

* * *

**To any new readers, please review!**


	4. Narrow Margin

**Hey y'all! To new readers, this chapter (along with others) was originally in script form. Well, I've changed this one and all others into dialogue form. Hope you enjoy and please review!**

* * *

Chapter 3: Narrow Margin

**Genette**

The room, or cell I had been assigned to, was what the pilots used. I had to stay in here until they allowed me to come out. However, my friends were allowed to come see me and I think it was because of my sister that I have such good accommodations. Blaze is a whiz at convincing people to do what she wants and I've never been able to figure out how she does. Of course, she is beautiful and charming so that probably has something to do with it.

There was a bunk in one corner, a couch and a desk opposite the bed, and a dresser. Chopper, Blaze, and Nagase were all asleep. I was the only one awake and bored out of my mind because I wasn't even allowed to roam the base at the moment. I guess you could say I was kind of a prisoner.

I heard footsteps outside my room and the sound of the door opening. It was Captain Hamilton.

Captain Hamilton... unlike his superior, the Base Commander, who locked me in here, he's been very reasonable with me. He even got my camera back which he handed to me immediately. I gratefully took it, glad to have it back. Hamilton looked at me and told me that if his uncle wasn't a soldier, he would've liked to have a job like mine.

He proceeded to call someone; I was thinking it was the Base Commander. Hamilton's face turned hard and he put down the receiver. He tapped it lightly once, twice, three times… then practically smashed his finger into the phone.

"Well, we don't have any reason to hold you anymore," Hamilton said as turned to face me.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Yuktobania just declared war. They've launched an offensive simultaneously too." he answered gravely as I stood up. "Our naval port at St. Hewlett is getting bombed right now."

I peeked through my blinds to see Blaze, Chopper, and Nagase taking off. There were only three of them now.

* * *

**Nagase**

The three of us had just taken off, all of us in F-5E's. Genette was ordered to stay behind since we were now officially at war. We didn't have the briefing on base due to the pressing circumstances we had on our hands so instead we had an in-flight briefing. I'm not sure why but I don't like in-flight briefings. I am the kind of person where I learn visually. I have to see the terrain where I'm flying and whatnot. You can't do that with an in-flight briefing. In in-flight briefings, you had to listen to what you had to do.

Anyway, moving on from what I don't like and onto Port St. Hewlett. St. Hewlett is land that is shaped kind of like a horseshoe due to the water. There is a bridge that goes across the water, which from a birds-eye view makes it look kind of like an arched window.

"Due to the pressing circumstances, I'll be issuing an emergency in-flight briefing," Thunderhead announced. No kidding. Like we didn't know that already?

The briefer came on (I never could find out his name) and started to inform us on our mission. "Our naval port at St. Hewlett reports that Yuktobanian aircraft have launched a surprise attack on the port. The situation there is critical and with widespread panic. Ships from the 3rd Osean Naval Fleet docked at the port are currently under attack and taking heavy losses. Hurry to port St. Hewlett and provide air cover for our naval vessels attempting to escape the bay. Among these ships is the aircraft carrier Kestrel. It is the flagship of the 3rd Naval Fleet and a critical combat asset. You must protect the Kestrel at all costs."

"Thunderhead to Wardog. Edge, you lead the formation," he ordered.

"Negative. You take the lead Blaze," I replied, "I'll fly on your wing."

"You sure?" Blaze asked hesitantly. I knew I was giving her a big responsibility but I knew she could handle it. Blaze was good at leading. In fact, it's what she did best. Another reason I told her to be captain is that I need someone to tell me what to do. I'm not good at making up last minute decisions, I'm better at informing. I guess Chopper would've been willing to be captain, but... he... he's too goofy. Blaze is goofy too, but she is more serious than Chopper in bad situations. Blaze wasn't officially captain; Thunderhead (or Dunderhead as I sometimes call him… not to his face) hadn't told her to lead the formation. For this mission at least, she would be our unofficial captain.

"I'm sure."

"I'm down with Blaze being Captain," Chopper acknowledged.

"Second Lieutenant Nagase, follow your orders," Thunderhead ordered.

"No, Blaze is leading," I argued. "I'll protect her six 'o' clock. And I'm not gonna lose another flight lead."

"Quit Screwing around, this is war. The enemy's all over, they're gonna eat you alive!" Captain Snow barked. I only knew who he was because his name showed on my radar.

He flew past us in his F-14A at a very high speed. Captain Snow was one of the captain fighter pilots of the aircraft carrier Kestrel, the ship we are supposed to protect. I remember Chopper telling me a story about him. Chopper apparently got in Captain Snow's way or something and Captain Snow cussed him out pretty well. I laughed when Chopper told me this.

"Aaah... I'd better stick to the trail position, thanks," Chopper said.

"This is Captain Snow, callsign Swordsman. Engaging next enemy formation. Give me a position."

"This is the AA cruiser Excalibur. The ship blocking us up ahead, you've got to move away! We can't use our SPY radar!" the ship shouted.

I could see the smoke all the way from over where I was and I wasn't that close; it was rising up in black columns from here and there. It was an awful sight. I knew it would be bad when I arrived, but never did I imagine it would be _this_ bad. Explosions were everywhere. I knew that people were being injured gravely and it was making my stomach sick.

"Cleared to engage," Thunderhead informed. "Blaze, engage."

"Blaze, engaging."

"Edge, engaging."

"Chopper, engaging."

"I'll cover your six. All right, Blaze?" I told her.

"Okay," She agreed. She seemed sort of distant in her answer. I think she was trying to focus on fighting and keeping track of us at the same time. For a rookie captain, she was handling it pretty well. Much better than I would have.

"Blaze, you take the lead. I'll go trail and follow," I added.

"The tanker next to us just exploded! Where is the fireboat? It's spreading to our ship! Help us!" An Osean ship shouted.

"Nobody saw them coming?" Another Osean demanded.

Blaze did a three-sixty spin while going down gradually. She then got behind an enemy plane. She trailed it like a fox. It kept trying to shake her off, but she wouldn't let it out of her sight. I wished I was as good as Blaze. She never ceased to amaze me. Blaze was a rookie pilot and she had only been in two real battles but already she was outperforming everyone. I could hear people from the ships over the mic wondering who she was. I don't know if Blaze heard them or not, she never said anything to acknowledge the fact. Even Captain Snow, one of the best fighter pilots in the military, couldn't keep up with her or follow her. The only person that seemed capable of it was Chopper.

"Their ships are just sitting at anchor. This is like target practice," A Yuke snarled.

"Good luck getting past me, Nagase, and Chopper butt holes!" Blaze exclaimed.

"Butt holes?" Chopper inquired with a small laugh.

"Got a problem with me saying that?" Blaze snapped lightly.

"I think he means he can't believe you said butt instead of another, more offensive word," I suggested.

"Right…" Blaze said.

"Blaze, I think you are the only person I've ever met that won't cuss in a life or death situation," Chopper observed. Blaze laughed.

"Enemy reinforcement detected. Heads up and get ready," A Yuke commanded.

"Captain, do you know how to give your commands?" Chopper queried, going up in a loop and shooting at an enemy plane with gunfire. He hit it repeatedly and it wasn't long before it exploded. The sight made my stomach flip. Someone had been in that plane…

"Who doesn't? No offense Chopper, and why are you calling me Captain? I'm not technically your Captain," Blaze pointed out.

"Cool, I'm ready for 'em anytime, so just say the word. And you are my Captain and technicalities don't matter right now," Chopper answered in a matter-o-fact tone.

"I'm agreeing with Chopper on this one Blaze. It's two against one; you're not going to win," I told her.

"When it's a verbal argument, no. When it's an air battle, I can win two against one," Blaze said cheerfully.

"I know you can, that's why I feel bad for this enemy," Chopper commented. Blaze had gotten a missile lock on it and fired. Direct hit. Chopper, meanwhile, had gotten behind the enemy plane that had been trailing Blaze. She hadn't realized it was there until after she had shot down the plane she had been trailing. Chopper was very protective of Blaze; it made me wonder if he liked her. I mean, sure he had known her for almost ten years and whatnot and they were best friends… but what if Chopper liked Blaze in a _different_ way? You probably are catching my drift. Think about it! He's always talking to her, he gets teased for flirting with her even though he denies it, and he is very protective of Blaze when she has an enemy on her tail. Not like an "oh, you're my Captain or wingman" kind of protectiveness, but more like a "I love you so much I don't want anything to happen to you" kind of protectiveness. I have to admit, it was very suspicious (in a good way). If he does like her, I'm all for it because I think they would make the perfect couple.

"Chopper! Get this lunatic off me!" Blaze yelled as she swerved to left.

"I'm working on it! Boy, does he have a grudge against you or something? He won't let up," Chopper muttered.

"Yeah, I know he won't let up. He's been trailing me for the last five minutes," Blaze retorted.

While Chopper was after the plane that was after Blaze, I tried to find another enemy plane. One was above me. I slowed down enough to where I could go up and the enemy would be directly in front of me and I would get a clean shot... that is if he didn't move. Fortunately for me, he didn't realize that I was behind him until after I had fired. Unfortunately for him, it was too late. Sorry dude.

"The fireboat got caught in the explosion. Two... no, three ships are burning now," An Osean ship hollered.

"...This is not a drill..." Another guy said.

"Oh, thanks for the heads up, you idiot!" An Osean said sarcastically.

"I think we've already noticed this isn't a drill," Blaze commented.

"Yeah, I mean honestly, did he just notice that?" Chopper added.

"Obviously since he just said it," I said.

"Your target is the enemy aircraft carrier and the large surface combatants surrounding it," A Yuke directed.

Blaze had to take evasive maneuvers to get away from the missiles getting fired at her. An enemy plane had gotten behind her and she was doing spins while going from side to side. That had to be making her dizzy. Blaze suddenly slammed on her brakes and went up while the enemy plane shot past her. She regained control and fired at the enemy plane, and predictably hit it right in the middle. I remembered Chopper yelling at her when she pulled that same stunt in our first or second mission.

Chopper was busy trailing a plane that was attempting to bomb the Osean Naval Fleet but it wasn't working out too well because Chopper kept getting a missile lock on the enemy and the enemy had to keep evading.

I had been going in big wide circles around the Kestrel, in case an enemy plane tried to bomb it. It wasn't long before I had a plane shoot past me. I did a sudden sharp turn and followed the enemy plane. It realized I was behind it and tried to shake me off. It was so busy trying to shake me off that it didn't see Blaze coming head on towards it. I saw two missiles come from her plane and her disappearing to go help Chopper who was getting chased by one of the better enemy fighters. The missiles that Blaze had sent hit the enemy plane's wing and it plummeted downward. How the hell had she hit that plane from her position? It wasn't normal. _She_ wasn't normal!

"Don't let them escape port. Sink them all," A Yuke pilot barked.

"Protect the Kestrel at all costs!" one of the Osean ships said.

"It's time for our Aegis ship to live up to its name," another guy said and then he added, "Thanks, everyone. We request your cover until we break out of this port!"

"Sheesh! How many enemy planes are here?" Chopper muttered.

I was thinking the same thing. It seems every time you shoot one down, two more appear!" Blaze replied in annoyance. I could just imagine her with a pouty face at the moment but I wasn't sure why. It seemed to fit the tone of her voice.

"I know. They won't stop coming!" Chopper practically reiterated.

"Blaze, this is Edge. Have you located the carrier Kestrel?"

"Yes, I have it in my sights right now."

"I've picked it up as well. Looks like it's still all right," I acknowledged.

"I can't tell whether it's all right or not. I'm too far away," she replied.

I turned to see Blaze taking on two enemies flying towards the Kestrel. She had shot two missiles at one and hit it. The plane fell towards the dark blue water. Now she was firing her guns at the other one. She could take a lot on by herself. Chopper joined her, and their combined gunfire shot down the plane. The other enemy plane that Blaze had shot missiles at had escaped and was now going after the Kestrel again. Chopper went after it and skewered it. I have to say, Chopper was one hell of a fighter pilot even though he did talk way too much sometimes. He can't go longer than one minute without talking.

"The entire gulf is in flames," I announced suddenly as I looked down at the blazing orange lights. I don't know why it had just now dawned on me but I think I had been too focused on shooting the enemies down.

"I can't believe this is happening! Why didn't we know they were coming sooner?" Blaze demanded.

"I was thinking the same thing. We should've known sooner that they were coming," I agreed.

"Man, what happened here? This is worse than even I imagined," Chopper confessed.

"That makes two of us…" Blaze mumbled just clear enough to where I could understand her.

"Are you okay Blaze?" he asked, his voice tinged with worry.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean- Blaze look out!" he yelled frantically. I turned to see where Blaze was and I could see three planes firing missiles at her. Blaze yelled "WHAT THE HELL?!" just as she narrowly avoided six missiles aimed at her plane and then she started pulling off maneuvers that would've shamed even Belkan pilots. Chopper was racing after her and trying to shoot down the planes. Two other Osean pilots joined in with him and the three of them got the bandits off of Blaze's tail.

"Thanks guys," Blaze said graciously.

"No problem Blaze. We lost one Captain; we're not going to lose another," Chopper said firmly.

"That's good to know. I swear to God I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you and Nagase and everyone else saving butt."

"You're welcome…?" An Osean pilot left the question hanging.

"Callsign's Blaze."

"You're welcome Blaze. You know, that callsign suits you."

"What do you mean?" She sounded confused.

"I mean that you blazin' fast, that's all."

"Oh, thank you!" Blaze answered, sounding bashful. I held back a chuckle. Only Blaze got embarrassed by compliments like that.

"No problem."

I was trying even harder not to laugh because I also knew Chopper was probably getting pissed off by the Osean fighter pilot flirting with Blaze. I could just see him rolling his eyes right now and it was a rather funny sight.

"This is the Port Captain. All vessels leave port immediately! Ships nearest exit first!"

"I don't care if we take hull damage. We're clearing out of here anyway we can," An Osean ship barked.

"Nagase, Chopper, how many ships have we lost?"

"I don't know," I said ruefully.

"Neither do I," Chopper added.

"Does _anyone_ know how many ships we've lost?!" She inquired, not being able to hold in all of her exasperation.

"I think we've lost one or two but both of them were missile boats," Captain Snow told her.

"Thanks Captain Snow."

"You're welcome Blaze."

"Escape the port and take evasive action. No mistakes!" One of the Oseans ordered. I vaguely wished I knew everyone down below so I could say exactly who said exactly what. But then I knew it would be impossible for me to know _everyone_ on the ground.

"Chopper, shoot now!" Blaze ordered.

"Are you sure? I don't think the missile will hit," Chopper said hesitantly.

"Chopper, shoot now! Trust me!" Blaze urged. Chopper must have been persuaded by her because the next moment a missile was fired by him. Incredible! It hit the enemy right in the engine! How did she know it would hit the plane? Chopper was barely in range and he didn't have a very good vantage point.

"Nice one Chopper!" I complimented.

"Thanks! Hey, Blaze? How did you know the missile would hit?"

Blaze laughed and said, "I guessed."

"You're kidding!" I exclaimed.

"That's one hell of a guess Blaze!" Chopper pointed out.

"It sure was," she agreed.

At that moment, Chopper, Blaze, and I saw three enemy planes about to go over the bridge. We lined up and went head on. All of us, including the enemies fired missiles at about the same time. After we had shot the missiles, we gained as much altitude as we could fast! The enemies weren't so lucky (or smart), and were destroyed by our missiles. I wondered why the enemy hadn't pulled up or made a sharp turn to avoid the missiles. It's not like it wasn't possible. They could've easily evaded the missiles. Could the enemy pilots really be that dumb? I mean seriously?

"Why didn't they evade those missiles?" Blaze questioned innocently.

"I was thinking the same thing," I told her and I realized we did that a lot. Maybe it's because we've been friends for so long.

"I don't think they're that smart to be honest," Chopper said.

"Why do you think that?" she asked.

"They tried to attack us and we're demolishing them… just saying," he answered.

"Well let's hope they stay unsmart so we can finish this and get home," I said.

"Amen to that sister," Blaze agreed.

"This is the aircraft carrier Kestrel. Approaching port exit."

"Roger, Kestrel," The Port Captain responded almost instantly. "The Kestrel takes top priority! That barge over there, move it! I know you want outta here, but open up a path! That carrier's valuable!"

There were enemy and allied planes all over the place. Enemies were getting shot down everywhere. On the bright side, our allies weren't getting shot down as frequently. On the dark side (this is starting to sound like _Star Wars_ with the light and dark side), we had lost some of our best fighters to the enemy. I could tell Blaze was getting angry now. Every time she went after an enemy, it almost never survived.

An enemy had gotten in front of me and was in perfect position for me to fire, and that's what I did.

Somehow, Blaze had managed to shoot down four more enemy planes and get three enemy planes on her tail (again). She was pulling some amazing maneuvers (again) but this time the enemy wouldn't leave her. Chopper wanted to help but he was too busy trying to shoot down another enemy plane. I was trying to shoot down an enemy plane as well and she was ordering us to keep at what we were doing. Chopper was protesting fiercely but Blaze wouldn't hear of it. Captain Snow came to her rescue and shot down one of the planes. Chopper had finished off the plane he had been trailing and joined in and shot down the second plane trailing her. I had just shot the plane I had been chasing down and demolished the last plane on Blaze's tail.

"Thanks guys! I was a little scared there for a moment," she admitted.

"I would be too! How the hell did you manage to get three enemies on your tail two times?" Chopper demanded somewhat airily.

"Good question. I don't know myself."

"You're welcome Blaze," I said.

"You're welcome," Snow added.

"That takes some serious skill," Chopper observed.

"And some seriously bad luck," she added.

"The Kestrel is in open waters! Bon Voyage, guys!" An Osean announced cheerfully.

The Port Captain then came on and said, "All friendly aircraft, protect the Kestrel for us!"

"This is Swordsman. On my way. That's our ship."

"Negative! This is AWACS Thunderhead. Swordsman, remain in the Eastern Sector. Protect our territory and continue battle."

"But that's my carrier!" Snow protested vehemently.

"Wardog, provide cover for the Kestrel," Thunderhead instructed and by the way he said that, I knew there would be no arguing out of it.

"Dammit, you pigheaded..." Snow ranted and I was somewhat disappointed when he stopped because I kind of wanted to know what he was going to say. "All right, I'm counting on you Wardog. Don't lose our ship!"

"You can count on us," Blaze assured.

"AWACS, bogey dope! Give me a target!" An Osean fighter requested urgently.

"Bogeys inbound from vector 280... It's no use! There's too many of them!" Thunderhead shouted. The loudness made me cringe.

"Get a hold of yourself. Your radar control is critical!" the fighter snapped.

"Shot down another. Good God, why are there so many freaking planes?" I groaned.

"Unfortunately, the enemy isn't as dumb as we thought," Chopper grumbled.

The enemy planes wouldn't stop coming. My stomach was hurting from groaning in exasperation and doing such sharp turns to avoid missiles. I swear we had shot down at least thirty planes in the time we had arrived and thirty more had taken their place. It seemed like it would never end. I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep flying like this.

"I'm abandoning ship. We're sitting ducks over here," An Osean soldier said.

Another guy shouted, "Come back here! You coward!"

"Is he trying to kill us? What kinda captain is that?" A different one said in disgust. So that guy that was abandoning ship was a captain? Sheesh, that was a sucky captain.

"A bad one?" Blaze suggested.

"Range to bay exit, three miles," the Kestrel announced.

"Hurry up and drop the lifeboats!" An Osean ship commanded before adding, "What're you doing?! Hurry up and get out of here! This is it. It's over!"

I could barely hear one soldier say, "Man, this is the worst day of my life..."

"Mine too man, mine too," Chopper agreed.

"Missile impact 600 feet off port bow," the Kestrel said.

"Wardog, this is Thunderhead. We need you to take care of the Kestrel."

"Yes sir," Blaze said.

"Good, we're counting on you, Wardog. Don't take your eyes off the Kestrel."

"Wasn't planning on it in the first place," Chopper retorted.

"Are the ships moving yet?" Blaze queried anxiously.

"The ships are finally starting to move," I replied. Then under my breath, I urged, "Get out of the gulf, fast!"

"Hey Blaze, what do you think happened to Yasmine and Tornado?" Chopper inquired nonchalantly.

"Chopper, we're in the middle of a war and you're asking me what happened to Yasmine and Tornado?" Blaze sounded incredulous.

"Yes, yes I am."

"Chopper, you are the most random person I have ever met."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment. Nagase, do you think I'm random?"

"Oh no, not at all," I said casually.

"Blaze, you're the only one that thinks I'm random," Chopper declared happily as if he had just proven his point. I laughed.

"No I'm not," Blaze replied, laughing along with me.

"You're laughing slyly. You scare me when you laugh slyly. Why are you laughing slyly?" Chopper asked suspiciously.

"Because I was being sarcastic Chopper. I do think you are very random," I told him.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "Well, Blaze, you never did answer my question."

"Fine, I think they're going to get back together if someone doesn't screw it up and I don't want to name names but I think you know whom I talking about."

"I do," I said, "and Chopper, if you don't, well… too bad."

"Actually, I do know whom you're talking about. I was there when the argument went down. I was talking to Blaze."

"Oh were you now?" I said drolly.

"Nagase, I don't like how you said that…" He confessed.

"Said what like how?" I countered. It was fun trying to confuse Chopper but it almost never worked because he would turn the tables on you almost every time.

"Y'all are confusing me! Stop it!" Blaze exclaimed.

"Blaze, you're not the only one and Nagase, I'll answer your question that you didn't ask in question form when we get on base," Chopper told me.

"You're confusing me again!" Blaze commented.

"Sorry Blaze, and Chopper, I'm holding you to your word, FYI."

"I know."

I couldn't believe I had said that. I was wondering of Blaze would catch on to my meaning but she can be very blonde sometimes. I was almost glad that Blaze didn't catch on to where I was going with that conversation. Chopper on the other hand knew exactly what I meant and he was worried that Blaze was going to find out I figured it out. I was going to apologize to Chopper when we got onto base without Blaze overhearing. It would be difficult because Chopper was always hanging out with Blaze, another reason of my suspicion of him liking her. Yes, I know they're best friends but again, what if he likes her more than just a "friend"?

Sorry you're probably getting sick of hearing about the massive probability of Chopper and Blaze liking each other. I'll move onto another subject but I can't promise I'll stick to it.

Anyway, the ships were finally starting to move. It seemed forever before they were moving. Now of only these Yuke pilots would stop coming...

"'A' flight, engage the enemy ships. 'B' flight, attack and destroy the gulf facilities," A Yuke fighter ordered. "'C' flight, fly top cover. Establish air superiority. You got that?"

"Like hell you are. You're not destroying anymore of our ships," Chopper snarled.

"And you're not going to destroy anymore of our gulf facilities," I added.

"I'll meet you there you morons!" Blaze declared heatedly. "The only person getting air superiority is me and my fellow fighter pilots ya putzes."

"Blaze, what's a Putz?" I inquired.

"You've never seen _Out to Sea_?!" Chopper practically shouted.

"Should I have?" I asked.

"Oh my God it's freaking hilarious! Nagase, when we get back to base, you and I are watching it," Blaze said.

"Whatever you say Captain."

"Would you stop callin me Captain? I'm not the captain, technically."

"Again, Blaze, those are called minor technicalities. You're our captain for this mission. Deal with it," Chopper told her bluntly.

"I am dealing with it and I do like being captain but I'm not the official captain."

"You are for this mission. So we're going to call you captain whether you like it or not, sorry Blaze," Chopper wrangled. "Besides, you make an awesome captain."

"Thanks Chopper."

"No problemo Blaze."

"Enemy attack! Return fire!" An Osean soldier yelled.

"Calm down! Just calm down!" Another guy tried to console.

"Enemy anti-ship missiles launched! Begin Phalanx fire!" The other guy ordered, completely ignoring his comrades attempts.

"No! Stop! You're firing on the docks!" The comrade pointed out angrily.

I was trying to get the Kestrel in my view. I happened to see some debris in the water. I flew closer to the water and realized it wasn't debris I had been looking at but…

"Those... those are people floating on the waves," I murmured.

* * *

**Chopper**

I shouldn't have looked. When that enemy plane crashed and covered the water in flames, there were people floating right there. I could see their faces... so many of them.

…Somebody stop this. I can't take it anymore.

* * *

**Nagase**

We were silent for a few minutes before Chopper broke the silence. "Kid, did you see that?"

"Yes..." Blaze whispered. She sounded upset, extremely upset. It was a blow to all of us. That moment when we saw those people floating in the waves, I think that was when it really struck home with us that we were at war and we weren't fighting remote controlled planes anymore. We were fighting with real people.

Chopper sounded upset as well. He had seen someone die before during his time at the McNealy Air Force Base. A rookie pilot flew into the jet wash of another plane and the plane went out of control. The rookie and his RIO weren't able to reach the eject handle and they crashed. I remember I was with Blaze when she received the phone call from Chopper. She had turned pale and the first thing she asked was if he was okay. When she hung up, she told me. A knot formed in my throat when she had told me too. We were both shaken up by that even though it had happened nowhere near us but both of us knew that it could easily be one of us that accidentally flew into the jet wash of another plane. Anyway, I think this was worse though because this was not just one person, but hundreds of people.

I was upset as well. I never thought I would see the day when I would fight real people in planes. I always thought I would do some reconnaissance and fight remote controlled planes. I wanted to know who started this war and ask them why. Why did they start this war between the two most powerful countries in the world? I couldn't think up of any good reason.

"So, you saw it, too... that sea..." Chopper trailed off, seeming as if he couldn't finish.

"We're out of the gulf, but stay alert," An Osean captain admonished.

"The carrier's entering the ocean. C'mon, whoever's out there, help us out! Get that bucket of bolts out of here," Chopper prayed.

"I second Chopper's prayer."

"Chopper, check your six!" I warned.

"Whoa! How'd he get back there?!" he demanded as he pulled evasive maneuvers.

"I'll cover you," I told him. Blaze was busy protecting the Kestrel from oncoming enemy ships. She was being quicker with shooting the missiles and pulling away, probably not wanting to see much else after that. After what we saw, I could see why she using the shoot and leave tactic. I know I was and by the looks of it, so was Chopper.

"This is the captain of the aircraft carrier Kestrel. My congratulations to all ships that managed to escape. As Captain, I will now form a provisional battle fleet. The enemy's built a blockade with their fleet in front of me."

"Oh boy," Blaze said quietly.

"We have to break through this and escape to safer waters. Good luck, everyone. All friendly aircraft, your support is requested," the Kestrel Captain said kindly.

"Yes sir. We'll engage the oncoming enemy fleet," Blaze assured him.

"Thank you."

"Blaze, this is Thunderhead. Are you clear on the mission objective?"

"Yes sir."

"Roger. Begin the mission at once."

"Yes sir."

"Range to blockade line confound at four miles," the Kestrel informed.

"Their formation's centered around that carrier. Begin operations," the enemy naval fleet observed. "This is the perfect chance to improve our battle record. Let's go."

"Oh no you're not! You're not touching a bolt on that little ship," Blaze retorted.

"Blaze, it's not that small of a ship," Chopper pointed out. She didn't respond which only made him chuckle.

"There's gotta be an enemy aircraft targeting the carrier from beyond the horizon," An Osean mused uneasily.

The enemy wasn't going to let us win without a fight. It was scary. Chopper and Blaze teamed up and destroyed one of the enemy's destroyers. Then Chopper and Blaze went after separate planes. I had a new enemy formation approaching and went head on. I fired two missiles at one and skewered it. I got behind one of the other ones and fired two more missiles. I missed. I shot with my guns and it blew up after a while

I had a feeling that the Osean Squadron saying there had to be an enemy aircraft targeting from the horizon was right. Yuktobania was amazing at war; I had to give them that even if that meant that we would have a hell of a time beating them.

"Nice one Nagase!" Blaze praised.

"Thanks."

"Stay on the lookout for inbound long-range anti-ship missiles," one of the Kestrel members cautioned.

"Blaze just shot one down!" Chopper chirped.

"Nasty enemy too. Wouldn't fly straight for me," she muttered.

"Then they're all nasty," I noted.

"Well, the A-6E's are easy to shoot down. It's those other ones like the Nimrods and whatnot," she replied.

"They all need to get the hell out of here," Chopper declared.

"I'm not gonna let them sink us here!" An Osean shouted vehemently.

"VF-10, they're gonna lock on you! Get out of there!" Snow ordered.

"Too slow, man!" Chopper added.

"Protect our carrier!" Snow said to no one in particular.

"Watch the Phalanx fire from your right!" Another Osean said.

"Missiles incoming from aft starboard! Two of them!" A soldier from one of our ships announced frantically. God this was getting intense… too intense for my liking.

"What's going on? You know Blaze, Nagase?" Chopper queried curiously.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Blaze admitted sadly.

"Does _anyone_ know what's happening down there?" Chopper groaned.

"Dammit, they got the captains plane!" A Yuke growled. I knew it was Blaze that had shot down one of the enemies' captain. Chopper had fired one missile at an enemy plane but couldn't finish it off because an enemy had gotten behind him and he had to take evasive action. Blaze finished the plane off and went to help Chopper. I, meanwhile, was trying to get one of the enemies away from the Kestrel, but this plane was dead set on destroying the Kestrel.

"Not on my watch, Bucko!" I said to the enemy plane even though I knew perfectly well that they couldn't hear me.

"Nagase, whom are you talking to?" Chopper asked innocently.

"This annoying little plane dead set on destroying the Kestrel," I answered in aggravation, not at Chopper but at the plane.

"Well then, talk away," he told me airily.

"Count on it," I retorted.

"Bring all the wounded inside! We don't have time to treat them!" An Osean soldier shouted.

"I'm being trailed!" Blaze exclaimed.

"Hold on! I'll get him off you!" Snow told her. His plane shot past mine as he went to go help Blaze; I was utterly thankful I was nowhere near his jet wash because that would've sent me into a unrecoverable spin.

"We're gonna break through the middle of that fleet!" A friendly soldier informed.

"Guess we'll have to accept the loss of a few ships," one of the guy's comrades mumbled.

"You've gotta fly faster! We're gonna get slaughtered!" An ally pilot said furiously.

"I gotta admit, the enemy's got great pilots," A Yuke said. I couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Thank you, I'll take that as a compliment," Blaze said politely.

"Our fighters are providing great top cover. We can do this!" An Osean encouraged.

"That's the spirit!" Blaze agreed.

"We're about to hit the blockade. All hands, give me everything you've got!" A Kestrel crew member urged.

"This is the Kestrel," the captain of the ship announced. "Maintaining current speed and heading. We're breaking through the center."

"Good luck," Chopper said. Blaze and I repeated our condolences. Chopper added, "They're going to need it."

"They'll break through, trust me," Blaze assured.

"Moving to support the carrier," Snow notified.

"Osean fleet approaching!" A Yuke shouted.

"The enemy fleet is coming head -on. What are they thinking?" Another enemy demanded in incredulity.

"I don't think we are," Chopper said under his breath.

"Keep your head in the fight! If you manage to keep the fleet safe, you might just score yourself a medal!" One of our allied pilots heartened.

"The enemy ship's coming in fast! Engage, engage!" The Kestrel guy that talked way too much said. Honestly, he did. Almost every transmission from the Kestrel came from that guy.

The threat from the enemy was decreasing. The Kestrel and the other ships were moving head-on towards the enemy. Blaze had managed to shoot down five more enemies, Chopper four, and me four. In all we had probably shot down more than 30. No joke.

"Enemy ship approaching the carrier's port side! Engage," that same Kestrel guy said. You know what, since he's the only one that's really speaking from the Kestrel, I'm going to call him Joe so I don't have to keep saying 'that Kestrel guy.'

"Captain Snow, we entrust the sky above us to you," the Kestrel's captain said.

"Roger, Captain Andersen."

"We're helping Captain Snow," Blaze announced.

"Thank you, miss. We're going to need it. What is your name?" Snow inquired, almost sounding amiable.

"My callsign is Blaze. Nice to meet you mister…?"

"My callsign's Swordsman."

"Again, nice to meet you. Now let's blast Yuktobania back to where they came from!"

"Yahoo!" Chopper yelled with mirth.

"Almost there! We're almost through the blockade!" Joe told everyone, sounding borderline hysterical from excitement that the ship was going to make it.

"Warning! We've got one tough bandit here!" A Yuke pilot said. They must've been talking about Blaze…

"Be careful! This guy's the real deal! It's the captain of the squadron with the dog on the tail," the Yuke's comrade said. Now I know they're talking about Blaze. I feel sorry for the poor sucker that she's trailing.

"This is what we've trained for! We can do this! As long as we're still afloat, we have a fighting chance!" One of our ship members declared.

"Yahoo!" One of our pilots bellowed happily.

**MISSION ACCOMPLISHED**

"It broke through! That's one tough boat, man! Yeah!" Chopper gave a sort of breathy/surprised chuckle. "So, Kid, does it feel good to be the flight lead?"

"It feels awesome!" Blaze confessed.

"Good, glad to hear it!" he replied.

"This is the captain of the aircraft carrier Kestrel. Our fleet has successfully escaped to safe waters. My thanks to our brave warriors of the sea... and in the air," the captain praised.

We flew back in standard formation: Blaze in front, I on the left, and Chopper on the right.

"One, two, three..." Chopper counted. "One, two, three planes! Count 'em up man, we're all back safe. I can't wait to tell the captain once they pluck him out of the ocean!"

"Same here!" Blaze exclaimed; there was a catch in her voice though that made me think that Blaze thought we weren't going to see the Captain again. I hoped she was wrong but this was Blaze and Blaze had a scary gift of being able to tell what was going to happen, almost like she was psychic.

We headed back towards base. Genette was probably waiting for our return. I couldn't wait to see him. Crap! I can't like Genette! He's my best friend's older brother! Ah hell…

* * *

**Genette**

When my sister, Chopper and Nagase arrived, they immediately went to the briefing room to be debriefed about the mission. The briefer, in his monotone, boring voice, said "The aircraft carrier Kestrel has survived the enemy attack and has broken through into open waters. Although the 3rd Osean Naval fleet sustained considerable damage, it is still combat capable."

I was glad to see Blaze's, Chopper's and Nagase's faces. Glad they were all there, that none of them had been shot down.

I hugged my sister and Nagase and gave a "Bro" hug to Chopper. I had been in the control tower listening to the conversations the whole time and something Nagase said had got me thinking. Who _does_ Chopper like? I've haven't seen him flirting with a girl on base in ages and that's unheard of. I was going to have Nagase tell me who he liked.

We walked to Blaze's room where we all plopped down on anything that you could sit on. Blaze plopped down on her bed, Nagase took the top bunk, and Chopper and I took the couch.

"We've barely been at war for twenty-four hours and they've already attacked us," Blaze muttered.

"I know," Chopper agreed.

"It doesn't make sense. We were caught by surprise when we should've caught them sooner, we didn't," Nagase pointed out.

"Why do you think Yuktobania declared war on us? We're they're ally. It makes no sense," I commented. We all went silent, all of us thinking about why Yuktobania declared war on us.

"Maybe there is something or someone behind this whole thing," Blaze said quietly. Her eyes were closed and her hands were folded on her chest.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I know what she's saying. She's saying what if there is a country creating the hatred between Osea and Yuktobania. Maybe that country made Yuktobania think that Osea did something that we didn't-" Chopper started.

"And so Yuktobania declared war on us for something we didn't do and we don't know it," Blaze finished.

"Are you two mind readers?" Nagase joked. I grinned, Blaze just smiled and Chopper rolled his eyes in a teasing way.

"Hey Blaze?" I asked… no response. "Blaze?"

"I think she's asleep," Chopper chuckled.

"Well, I think that's my cue to leave," I said while getting up. "Nagase, are you staying or leaving?"

"I'm staying," Nagase replied. I nodded and left the room with Chopper trailing after me.

"Want some company?" Chopper inquired.

"Sure."

We walked to my room. I didn't call it a cell anymore because I wasn't being held prisoner there anymore. However, I guess technically I was still a prisoner on the island because I was forbidden to leave because I had witnessed battles that I shouldn't have.

We were almost to my room when we were stopped by Hamilton.

"I have news about Bartlett," Hamilton said.

"What is it?" I asked.

* * *

**Hope y'all like the new and improved chapter! It was a pain to rewrite all this into dialogue form from script. Anywho, please review!**


	5. First Flight

**First Flight**

* * *

**Mission 4**

**Genette**

We found out that when the rescue chopper arrived, the Captain was nowhere to be seen. The only thing they found was the retreating enemy intelligence vessel.

This island used to be a place of exile from the rest of the world; it then became our first line of defense against the enemy. I couldn't believe we were actually at war. And not only that, but we were the first to experience the first battle of this war. Us! It blew my mind!

Chopper and I walked into my room. It was evening now, and I couldn't see much unless I had a lamp on and even then it was hard because the light was kind of dull. I turned on the stereo and _Blurry_ started playing. Chopper patted Kirk, his black lab, gently on the head and then plopped down on the couch as I sat on my bed.

"So who will be the flight lead tomorrow?" I asked.

"Who'll be the flight lead tomorrow? I wouldn't waste my energy worrying about that if I were you. We're an auxiliary squadron you know, so his highness the Lieutenant Colonel will just come down from the mainland and take over, that's all. Whew! I love this sound! Calms me down. I'm gonna sleep well tonight!" Chopper exclaimed, leaning his head back and tapping his hands to the beat of the song. I found myself tapping my foot along with the beat as well.

"I heard that the one who broke the Captain's heart fifteen years ago was a recon major in the Yuke Army," I said.

"Yeah, I did my history homework, we were allies back then. Man, the Base Commander sure wasn't being subtle 'bout making accusations," he replied. Chopper cleared his throat, and, with a droll smile, imitated the Base Commander by saying in a nasally voice, "'Was there anything suspicious about the Captain's behavior?'" he says."

In Chopper's normal voice, he said, "Hell, I'm more suspicious 'bout the screw in his damn head!" he said, laughing.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Chopper sat up real quickly, looked at the door, and then groaned.

"Ahhh, you're kiddin' me? An air raid! Give me a break man!" Chopper practically shouted and as he ran out of the room. I leaped up and ran after him. No way was I going to miss this! Chopper had always been a fast runner, which was why he had been such a hell of a running back in high school football. We ran outside and I saw Blaze and Nagase were being instructed by higher standing officers to get their butts moving. I'm pretty sure Blaze muttered a few not very nice names at them. Her hair was in disarray and her eyeliner smeared but somehow she still managed to look like she could kick butt. I'm pretty sure she could kick a person's butt with a blindfold on and her hands tied behind her back.

"Genette, stop!" Hamilton ordered.

* * *

**Blaze**

Genette was running behind Chopper when he was stopped by Hamilton letting Genette know that he couldn't go with us. Genette wasn't too happy about that. Nagase, Chopper, and I all hopped into our planes, which were again F-5E's (since we really didn't have any other planes) and we were on the runway soon after.

"Scramble the jets!" The Base Control Tower guy (his name was Mike) ordered the second I got in my plane and mic was on. "Get all flyable aircraft into the air! Move it!"

"This is Blaze of the Wardog Squadron. Wardog is pulling onto runway," I told them.

"Air raid warning! Enemy bombers inbound!" Mike shouted, the loudness of his voice making me wince. "Scramble and engage!"

An aircraft flying almost directly above us exploded in mid-air. Gunfire was everywhere, very distinct against the dark blue sky in the east. If you weren't able to see the planes, you could almost imagine the gunfire as fireworks.

The sun was setting in the west and this is where I started getting nervous. Night missions were really hard. I remember doing missions at the Air Force Academy and they would be at night and how hard it was to see our targets, let alone land on the runway. In a nutshell, night missions suck! And this one was no exception.

"These turbines won't start up!" Chopper growled in frustration. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon!"

As Chopper started to move, a plane crashed into another plane not far from him. The plane exploded, along with the plane next to it. The explosion had been too close to Chopper for my liking… I'm only thinking that because he's my friend, nothing more… no matter what you think… and I know what you're thinking!

"Whoa!" he exclaimed in surprise.

"Chopper! Are you all right?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine Captain," he said, sounding way too calm.

"I'm not the Captain. They have someone coming down from the mainland. Lieutenant Colonel Ford I think," I told him, forcing myself to remember if that was the right name. I was ninety-nine point nine percent positive.

"Ah hell…" Chopper grumbled.

"What?" I inquired.

"Long story…" He replied.

"Wait a minute… you've told me about him," I said.

"Dammit…" he groaned.

"His daughter got you in trouble. Who was it? Penny Ford?"

"For your information, it was Danny Ford, and she has a knack for twisting stories up to blame it on the other person when really, it was all her fault."

"Blaze, Chopper, stop talking about Chopper, um, 'dating' the colonel's daughter," Mike ordered lightly.

"Yes, sir," Chopper and I said simultaneously. Whoops… That wasn't really the conversation I wanted to have with Chopper but I still find it hilarious that Chopper got his butt whooped because he dated the Colonel's daughter. Now the Colonel hates Chopper's guts and is out to get him. For some reason, I felt like I knew Colonel Ford from somewhere.

"The captain's spare plane is still in the hangar," Nagase pointed out.

"Forget it," Mike told her firmly. "Once your airborne, get as much altitude as you can, fast! Don't let the enemy bounce you from above… All right, now! The first enemy wave's passed by!"

"Yes, sir," she replied, sounding dejected.

"Blaze, scramble! Emergency launch! Hurry!" Mike commanded as I pulled onto the runway.

"I'm scrambling! I'm scrambling! If I scramble anymore, I'll be in the freakin' ocean!" I snapped. I was anxious and exhausted, which was not a good combo for me. It tended to make rather grouchy.

I shot off, full thrust. It wasn't long before I was in the air and I had to start fighting immediately. A plane was coming at me already. I couldn't help but think how busy this day had been. We had had a mission this morning, a mission this afternoon, and now we had this. It was almost too much in one day for a person to handle. It's a good thing that our teachers taught us to be prevailing and how to survive on very little sleep… and caffeine.

"Disperse!" I ordered.

"Roger. Chopper, breaking off."

"Roger. Edge, breaking off."

"If you're not captain Blaze, then why are you giving commands?" Chopper queried.

"Lieutenant Colonel Ford is having me do it. I'm still not captain though, I'm following his orders," I explained.

"Sounds like you don't like following his orders," Nagase observed.

"Not really, no. I prefer Bartlett…" I admitted.

"I can't blame you. Especially coming from Ford. Then they're even worse," Chopper muttered.

"You're just mad at him because he's out to get you because of Danny, but I will admit, you're right," I teased.

"Yes, I am mad because you would think that he would be smart enough to see through his daughter's lies!" he retorted, making me laugh.

"Control tower to Wardog, intercept the bombers. Don't let them attack the runway. And stop talking about Danny Ford!" Mike practically shouted although truth be told, I think he was enjoying our conversation immensely.

Once again, at the same time, Chopper and I said, "Yes, sir."

"Shot one down," I announced barely a minute later.

"Surprise, surprise!" Chopper said drolly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded.

"It's no surprise you shot one down," he said simply.

"I see. Hey Chopper, get this bandit off my tail would ya?" I asked politely.

"I'm coming!" Was his immediate reply.

Up, down, left, right, spin, hard left, loop, and down. That was the flight course I was taking to get this stupid bogey off my tail. I made myself a little dizzy in the process and it's not fun flying a plane when you're dizzy because then you can't tell the sky from the ocean and that's not very good.

"I see you managed to make it up. Is your plane all right?" Pops asked me.

"Yes sir."

"Glad to hear it. Looks like keeping it in good shape has paid off."

"That's for sure!" I agreed.

"This is Wardog leader, Lieutenant Colonel Ford. Approaching Sand Island. What's your current status?"

The Colonel's sudden participation in the conversation (ha, that rhymed… sort of. Sorry, random thought. I'm tired so don't judge) was a little surprising to me but instead of making a sarcastic remark, I kept my mouth shut.

" Heh. Here comes His Highness from the mainland now," Chopper joked.

"Oh joy," Nagase said. She sounded almost sarcastic but I couldn't be sure.

Crap, here he was here. I could see his plane in the distance and he was flying completely straight. He could be shot down! What was the moron thinking?

I know this is sort of abrupt but it is now time for confession time: I like Chopper. All right? I said it. I like him. Another confession: I don't like Colonel Ford because I've met him before and he's a complete… jerk to put it nicely. He didn't like me because I'm the reason his son wasn't first in his class. Hey, I earned that spot fair and square so Lieutenant Colonel Ford can shut his pie hole. Although, he's been known to have a forgetful memory so maybe he would forget me… but, knowing my luck, he would remember me and have it out for me too.

"This is Base Control. We are under air attack. Repeat, we are under air attack."

"I can trust you can hold the runway until we arrive?" Ford inquired, his tone implying that no other answer besides 'yes' would do.

"Yes sir," I replied in a carefully controlled voice. I didn't want him to know how much he was annoying me.

"Right, protect it at all costs," he said. Like I would do anything else?

Chopper had finally managed to shoot down the enemy plane behind me. Nagase was flying after an enemy bomber and so was I. The sky was getting darker and the battle more intense. Yuktobania had sent some of their best fighters to defeat us. I wasn't going to let them. Sand Island was the first thing blocking Yuktobania from getting to Osea and no way was I going to let them invade my homeland, over my dead body… which ironically is what I think they meant to do… isn't that a cheery thought? It made sense that they attacked us, meaning Sand Island, first. I just wished they had spaced out their attacks so I could have some rest. It's not fun having three intense missions in one day. If you don't believe me, you try it. Yeah, uh huh, you don't want to do you? That's what I _thought_!

"Thanks for shooting that guy down Chopper," I said sincerely.

"No problem, anytime," he assured.

"Enemy bomber shot down!" Nagase informed no one in particular.

"Fire team, stop the fire from spreading to our ammo dump," one of the Osean soldiers barked.

The enemy plane in front of me was trying to lose me. He wasn't going to succeed. I got a missile lock on him and fired. It wasn't enough so I had to fire another one. This time the enemy plane blew up. Chopper was flying after another enemy bomber. I counted about six more enemy bombers, but who knows how many there really were. I saw an enemy below me and went after it. Nagase was after an enemy fighter that was determined to get Chopper.

The enemy bombers were solid black making them hard to see in the night sky. I didn't appreciate them flying extremely high because then they were almost more damn near impossible to see than when they were flying low.

"Get anything flammable out of here. The ammo, too," one of the Sand Island personnel ordered. In fact, it sounded like Hamilton. He had this eerie way of keeping calm when we were in the worst situation possible.

"This is Chopper. Kid, have you picked up the targets?"

"Sure have," I answered.

"They've even got bombers. They want to destroy the base itself."

"The bombers that attacked us are turning around. They're heading back towards Sand Island," Nagase noted.

"We gotta stop them here, or it's all over. Even I know that," Chopper said.

"You think?" I said sarcastically.

"Yeah, why? You don't think that?" he questioned.

"No, I didn't know you thought," I joked.

"Ha ha, very funny…" he grumbled. I love teasing Chopper because it's so easy, well, at least for me it is.

"Attack successful. The enemy's confused and disoriented," A Yuke snarled, sounding pleased.

The enemy was really mad, especially at us. It seemed they were frustrated that we weren't getting shot down, even when their best pilots tried to shoot us down. I laughed at their attempts even if one or two were too close to shooting down my plane for my comfort.

The enemy bombers were targeting the runway; if they did, no more pilots would be able to take off or land and we wouldn't have enough fuel to get to another base either because Sand Island isn't exactly close to Osea you know. I certainly didn't want to have to bail out because I don't know if I said this before or not but Sand Island has been known to have shark infested waters. Not exactly the best place to bail out.

"I won't let them any closer than our airspace," Nagase declared before adding, "I shot one down!"

"Great, keep it up!" I encouraged as I shot a fighter down.

"Good kill Blaze!" Nagase complimented.

Apparently, I had shot down an enemy plane from a tricky angle (at least in some people's standards). I don't really see how it was tricky. Anyone could've pulled it off. Chopper had told me earlier that I was an amazing fighter pilot but I didn't believe him. Was he telling me that because I sucked and he wanted to make me feel better, or was he telling the truth? I wanted to believe that it was the latter but I didn't know. Chopper was a difficult guy to read. Most guys I can tell exactly what they want but Chopper, he's different. In more ways than one might I add. Usually, he's flirting with all the girls on the base. Now he'll barely speak to any of them. I wondered what was up with him because as I said before, he's always flirting with girls on base. However, I would have to ask him later what was wrong though because I was at war and a war zone wasn't really the best place to have a conversation about relationships.

We need to create a barrier CAP. Shift our Combat Air Patrol forward in front of the island," Nagase commented but no one was listening to her really. We were all just trying to stop the enemy from blowing us away.

"Rescue team, help out the wounded. All free hands help the fire control crew! Use the water in the supply tank to put out the fire!" A base personnel guy yelled frantically.

"Don't get hit Chopper!" I thought when I saw he was getting trailed by an enemy fighter. A _good_ enemy fighter, too. I wanted to help him but I couldn't; I was after an enemy bomber. Nagase couldn't help either because an enemy fighter was trailing her. I shot down the enemy bomber as quickly as I could and went to help Chopper. I shot down that plane in a nanosecond and went to help Nagase. She was pulling some awesome maneuvers to evade the plane and it finally worked. She lost the plane and she headed for an enemy bomber while I shot down the enemy plane that had been trailing her. I looked down at the ground. Black smoke was rising up and I could see the oranges blazes that indicated there was fire happening. One fire was dangerously close to the crew's rooms.

"Aaah! My Rock 'n' Roll records! They're in my room! It took me forever to collect all those!" Chopper exclaimed in dismay.

"The fire hasn't reached the crew's quarters yet," I said, trying to cheer him up.

"Emphasis on _yet_," he mumbled.

"Pops is taking off," Nagase announced. I looked down at the ground to try and find Pops. He was about to pull out on the runway.

"Thank God," I thought.

"Look at the hangar!" Chopper suddenly said.

I did as Chopper said and saw a plane pulling out. It was the Captain's spare plane. Who the hell had been able to pull that out? Only the captain was able to use it… but our captain, Captain Bartlett that is, wasn't here. We had Lieutenant Colonel Ford whom I didn't like very much and I already told you why.

"Who the hell pulled that out?" Chopper demanded.

"Don't ask this blonde because I don't know," I answered sheepishly.

The pilot of the spare plane came on. "This is Grimm. I was in the hangar helping out the mechanics. I'm taking off."

I knew this guy. Hans Grimm was his name and he was a replacement pilot. Actually, correction on that, he wasn't even _out_ of replacement pilot training yet actually. Grimm, as he preferred to be called, was real sweet. I had met him a few times in the hangar and we would start talking about _Top Gun_. He loved that movie too.

He had asked me what my first mission was like. When I was done telling him, he told me he didn't plan to be a mechanic his whole life. He said that one day he would be flying the planes, not fixing them and that he would be famous. And for some reason, I believed him. I believed he really would be famous one day.

"The hell you are." Chopper didn't sound happy about Grimm coming up to fight with us. In all honesty, I agreed but only because I didn't know if Grimm had enough experience yet. I guess we were about to find out. "You're not even out of replacement pilot training yet. Aren't there any other spare pilots around?"

"I didn't see any," Grimm responded innocently.

"There's no time," Nagase said bluntly but not unkindly. "Be careful, Grimm. I'll cover you."

"I'll try," he assured.

"You'll be fine. You have all of us watching out for you," I told him.

**MISSION UPDATE**

"Kid, Grimm's coming up. I'm not sure he can handle this… Are we just gonna watch?" Chopper questioned.

"No, of course not. What kind of question is that?" I retorted.

"Roger. Let's give him a hand," he replied, studiously avoiding the second part of my statement.

"Control systems are… okay," Grimm said. He was moving towards the runway. The enemy started to group up and head towards the runway which meant towards Grimm. Like hell they were going to shoot him down with me there. I don't think so! I may have met Grimm a few times but he was awesome and I didn't want anything to happen to him.

"Do not allow them to get any more planes airborne," A Yuke ordered.

"Grimm's a prime target right now for the enemy. We have to protect him," Nagase pointed out.

"You said it," I agreed.

"Oil pressure… no problems," Grimm said, talking more to himself more than anyone.

"Who was that? That guy's nuts!" Mike demanded in incredulity.

"What did the guy do?" I asked.

"They went head on with a whole squadron of enemy planes and shot down two!" Mike explained hurriedly.

"Oh, so you're calling me crazy?" I inquired in mock offense.

"Yes, we are."

"Another one's taking off," AYuke said.

"Kvant squadron just lost its last plane," another Yuke announced grimly.

"Suckers!" I shouted.

"Putzes!" Chopper added.

"Engine sounds great. Thank you mechanics…" Grimm said.

"Make sure you're prepared to provide cover at any time," Mike admonished.

Grimm was nearing the runway now. I was praying now. I was praying that he would make it up safely, that we would survive this and that we would all have a well-rested, much needed, good-night's sleep. I know I needed that!

The white buildings of our base were turning black from ash and debris. Even from thousands of feet up I could see the debris littering Sand Island. It was an awful sight.

"Nagase, go provide cover for Grimm! Chopper and I will take on the other enemy planes," I ordered.

"Roger that," she answered. I saw Nagase go down low to provide cover for Grimm right about the time I had an enemy plane in front of me. I fired two missiles at it. Direct hit!

Nagase ran the enemy planes away from Grimm. She shot down at least three that had attempted their luck at preventing Grimm from taking off. All I could say was that they were idiots.

"The Captain shot one down!" Nagase announced.

I wasn't really Captain for this mission either (even though Nagase and Chopper were calling me that). That was because Lieutenant Colonel Ford was appointed Wardog leader and I was just a fill-in. I liked being captain, I'll admit it. I never have liked being bossed around, especially by someone like Colonel Ford. I've always been like that, ask my brother because trust me, he knows.

"Fuel check. This ought to be enough," Grimm said. "Ejection system okay."

"The enemy is taking off. Destroy them before they get airborne," An enemy growled.

"This is Grimm. I'm about to takeoff. Can you see me from up there?"

"Yes," I told him.

"Roger. That's a relief."

"The enemy just won't stop coming! I'm really getting sick of them!" Chopper complained.

"I hear ya! This is our third mission today! I can't wait until this is over and I can take a nice hot shower and then I can cuddle up in my own bed," I mused.

"I'm with ya on that one Blaze!" he agreed.

"I hope you mean that you're doing the same thing as me, not cuddling in bed with me."

"Of course I'm not cuddling in bed with you. Not unless you want me to because then I don't mind. Then again, your brother would probably kill me before I could so never mind."

"Yeah, ya think? What about you Nagase? What do you think?"

"That sounds like bliss right now," Nagase said wistfully.

"I'm saying that so we get more motivated to blow these guys back to Yuktobania and we get our island back and our beds," I said.

"Come on! Let's get this over with!" Chopper urged.

Okay, what Chopper said shocked me, even though I didn't really act like it. Why would he say something like that unless he really meant he would cuddle with me? Of course, he could've been teasing me. Yeah, that was it. Chopper didn't like me the way I liked him. I was stupid to think that. And besides, I can't "like like" Chopper, let alone date him because he's my brother's best friend! Sheesh! I have issues…

"I'm in takeoff position on the runway. Engines, full power!" Grimm informed.

"Come back, come back!" Mike shouted.

"Don't stop him. Let him go," one of the other guys in Base Control Tower said.

"Be careful, Captain. Enemy radar has a lock on you," Nagase warned.

"Thanks for the heads up."

I got behind an enemy plane and fired missiles at it. I hit it and it fell towards the ground in flames. Just a few more left, just a few more left. It had turned into a mantra. The more I said it, the more I believed it and the more motivated I became.

I had only had about, oooh, six or seven near-death experiences. Two were from nearly crashing into a bomber that I _couldn't freaking see_ and then two times I almost crashed into the water because it was nearly pitch black and you could barely tell the difference between the sky and the water, and then, the last three times, I was almost shot down, but Chopper was always there to save my butt. Thanks to him, I was still alive.

"Enemy plane shot down by Blaze," Nagase confirmed.

An enemy bomber had gotten in front of me. I fired and hit it. It burst into flames. It was a good riddance. They invaded out territory so that's as far as I was going to let them go. No way were they going to take over this base and no way was I going to get shot down here.

"Nice kill, Kid!" Chopper praised.

"Thanks Chopper! I don't know if I've said this but thanks for all those times you've saved my butt. I've lost count now."

"You're welcome. You are my friend you know and I wouldn't like it very much if you got shot down. In fact, I would hate it. So what better way to keep you from getting shot down than by shooting down the people trying to shoot you?"

"While that was a lot of words for my exhausted brain to process right now, I do know I need to say thanks again."

"I don't think Genette would like it very much if we let you get shot down anyways," Nagase commented.

"He would have our heads," Chopper mused.

"No he wouldn't," I said.

"No, he would probably do something much more painful to me," Chopper joked.

"CHOPPER!" Nagase and I chastised.

"What?!" he laughed. "I love teasin' you two."

"If my brother ever did that to you, I would haunt him," I declared.

He chuckled. "Good to know."

"Enemy planes climbing up to meet us. Be careful," An enemy warned. Damn right they better be careful.

"Get up, get up! Climb!" Chopper urged.

"I'm airborne!" Grimm announced much to my relief. He had made it.

"I'm glad you made it up safely," I told him.

"Grimm! Get over here and cover my six," Chopper snapped. What a welcome…

Grimm seemed unfazed though. "Roger! This is Airman First Class Grimm, callsign Archer. Control tower and all aircraft, I will be joining the Wardog Squadron. "

Thank god Grimm had made it up safely. I really didn't think he would, not with all the enemies flying around trying to attack him. I know Nagase had been doing a good job at protecting him but she couldn't last forever.

"This is the control tower. Roger that. Blaze, take care of them for us," Mike commanded.

"I will do everything in my power," I promised.

"This is Wardog leader," Ford said, making me wonder where the hell he had been this whole time since he didn't say much. "Sand Island, I'm out of fuel. Request clearance to land."

"Negative, Lieutenant Colonel Ford, you can't land! We're under attack!" Mike exclaimed.

"All friendly aircraft, cover me while I land," Ford directed.

"What are you, insane?!" Chopper demanded.

"Second Lieutenant Davenport, is that you?" Ford queried, and just by the tone, I knew he was mad.

"Yes, sir," Chopper replied respectfully. I knew it was probably killing him to be polite.

At the same time, I was thinking "Ooooh boy… Chopper's identity has been recognized by Ford. This is going to get ugly." And I could tell by Chopper's voice that he was thinking "ah crap."

"I'll make sure to write you up after I la…" Ford started. His voice was cut off by static. I tried to find him by looking around. I found his plane on my radar and looked that way. He was trailing fire and was rapidly decreasing in altitude. That meant one thing… He got shot down. Damn! I may not have liked him much but I hadn't wanted him to get shot down!

"He's trailing fire! The Lieutenant Colonel's gone down!" Chopper yelled.

I was getting nervous. The enemy kept coming, and there were only four of us.

"Third wave closing fast," Nagase said.

"Crap…" Grimm mumbled.

"Amen to that Grimm," I agreed wholeheartedly.

"This is the control tower. Another wave of bombers approaching. Close fast and destroy them."

All of us, me, Nagase, Chopper, and Grimm, had all shot down four more planes. Yeah, that's right, four each. And we still had a ton more left.

Chopper and I teamed up and went after an enemy bomber. Nagase and Grimm teamed up and were trying to shoot down another enemy bomber as well.

"Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm…" Grimm murmured repeatedly.

"You'll do fine Grimm. You have us with you," I said.

"Thanks Captain."

"I'm not Captain," I pointed out.

Nagase said, "You are now."

"Since when?" I demanded.

"Since Lieutenant Colonel Ford got shot down," Chopper answered as if it should've been as obvious as the sky is blue.

"That's some crazy flyin'," a guy from Sand Island commented.

"We've resorted to launching him into battle? This base is toast, isn't it?" Another guy said. I wondered who they were talking about…

"If enemy missiles are inbound, check your radar. The missiles should be displayed on the search screen," Nagase suggested.

"Thanks for the heads-up Nagase," I replied.

"I'm all right. I'll just try to follow the training manual," Grimm said.

"Wing it some, Grimm. You don't want to be too predictable," I admonished.

"Yes, Captain."

"I'm seriously going to have to get used to y'all callin' me captain…"

"The flames are too strong. It's out of control," a Sand Island guy said.

"I can see the damage well from up here… Terrible," Grimm said sadly. I could see it too and I could only agree with Grimm.

Chopper and I had shot down the enemy bomber we were after. Nagase and Grimm had just finished the one they had been trailing which happened to be the last enemy bomber.

Yuktobania had really blown a grave hit to Osea. But they made a big mistake in the process. They had pissed off the Osean military, High Command, and all the personnel on Sand Island. Not a smart move. On the bright side of all this, we shot the last bomber down, kicked the Yukes butt and the surviving enemy aircraft were high-tailing it home.

**MISSION ACCOMPLISHED**

"Control tower to all aircraft. All bombers confirmed destroyed. Thanks for protecting our base everyone!" Mike congratulated.

"Was my flying all right?" Grimm asked hesitantly.

"You did just fine Grimm," I told him sincerely.

"Thank you. It was because of your support."

"Thank you for the compliment Grimm," Nagase said merrily.

"Yeah, thanks Grimm. You saved my butt a few times there," I said.

"You'll be just fine in this squadron with us," Chopper assured.

"Well, guess we didn't need to worry about Grimm after all," Mike observed. "Come on, let's get a welcoming party going!"

After we had gotten in formation, we turned around and headed for the runway. It was nearly pitch black outside now with only a sliver of sunlight coming from the west.

"Blaze, begin landing checks. You're cleared to land," Mike said. I lowered my landing gear. "Three miles to touchdown."

Three miles closer to taking a nice hot shower.

"Two miles to touchdown."

Two miles until I would be in my own bed.

"You're on the money. One mile to touchdown."

I was almost on the runway. In a few seconds I would be on the ground. Five… four… three… two… one! I was on the ground.

"Perfect, Blaze!" Mike exclaimed. "Stand by and prepare for your next sortie."

* * *

**Later that night…**

**Grimm**

Blaze, Chopper, Nagase, and Genette (even though he technically wasn't a part of the squadron) held a "Welcome to the Squadron" party in Chopper's room. It was just a friendly little get together. Chopper was telling us stories. Blaze was practically crying, Nagase's face turned a bright red, and my stomach hurt, and Genette was wheezing… and this was all caused by us laughing at Chopper.

Chopper looked at us and started to laugh too. His eyes gazed at all of us although his eyes rested a little longer on Blaze. However, I don't think she noticed this. Hell, I think I was the only person who noticed this.

"So, Grimm, how do you like flying with us?" asked Chopper.

"I love it. Those guys in pilot replacement training were getting on my last nerves," I answered.

"I see. Yeah, they did seem a little annoying when I went down to find Pops when he was training you guys. So how do you like Blaze as a Captain?" inquired Chopper. Blaze's cheeks turned a deep crimson. Obviously he had embarrassed her.

"She's really good. Especially at flying," I replied. Chopper seemed satisfied with my answer.

"How was it being in your first battle?" Chopper questioned.

"Not what I expected, I'll say that much," I answered.

"Have a crush on any of the girls on base?" Chopper asked.

* * *

**Blaze**

I was wondering where Chopper was going with this and I really didn't want to find out.

"Hey Grimm? When did you come on base?" I asked abruptly. Grimm actually looked relieved that I had asked that.

"About ten months ago. You?" he answered.

"One month ago," I replied.

"How did you become Captain?" Grimm asked.

"Bartlett got shot down and nothing was found of him, and, as you know, Lieutenant Colonel Ford got shot down too. He didn't survive," I said.

"I see," Grimm replied.

* * *

**Grimm**

"It's getting late you guys," Nagase announced with an accompanying yawn.

"I agree, plus I'm really tired," Genette added on.

"I'm tired as well," Blaze said.

"Chopper seems to be the only one awake," I joked.

"Nah, I'm tired as well. I'm just better at acting awake than you guys. Well, I guess this is the end of our little party," Chopper said as he got up. Everyone else did the same. We all started to walk towards the door single file. First Genette, then Nagase, then I, then Blaze, and bringing up the rear, Chopper.

* * *

**Chopper**

As we were walking towards the door, I put my hands on Blaze's shoulders. I leaned forward to her ear.

"Stay back, I want to talk to you," I whispered to her.

"Okay," She answered.

After Genette, Nagase, and Grimm had left the room, I shut the door.

"Sorry, it's just I wanted to show you something," I told her, taking her by the hand.

"Okay," She replied nonchalantly. I went to my shelf and pulled out an old scrapbook that my aunt had made me when I was seventeen. It was about the Demon Lord. I knew that Blaze had always been interested in him since he was her uncle and all and I'm sure she knew practically everything about him but I still thought she would like to see the pictures of her uncle actually flying.

The Demon Lord was considered a hero and a demon with extraordinary flying skills; he was the fighter that the enemy called a demon and the allies a hero.

"Here." I opened up to the first page.

"Wow," She breathed. We sat down on the couch. I put my arm around her.

"This is incredible!" she whispered. "You tell me about all the pictures."

"Okay," I replied. Blaze then rested her head on my shoulder. I explained each picture. It was around 11:30 when I finished talking about the pictures. Blaze had made a comment about every one of them. We talked for a few minutes when Blaze's head all of a sudden felt very heavy. I looked at her. She had fallen asleep. I put the book down, slowly lifted her off me, and put a blanket over her and went to my bed. I looked at her one last time before I shut my eyes. The image of her peacefully sleeping on my couch burned into my brain.

* * *

**September 28, 2010, 600 hours…**

I woke up and looked around. Blaze wasn't on the couch anymore. I figured she had gone to her room. The scrapbook had been moved and I knew she had looked at it again. I picked it up and flipped through the pages sitting on the bed with my back up against the wall.

* * *

**700 hours…**

I suddenly became aware of a knocking sound at my door. My face was plastered to the Demon Lord scrapbook. I shot up out of my bed and opened the door; Blaze was standing there.

"Hey Chopper, did I wake you?" Blaze asked.

"Yeah, but it's fine though. I needed to wake up," I replied smiling. She handed me my blanket and apologized for falling asleep.

"Don't worry about it," I assured her. I led her inside and we sat down on the couch. I started making her laugh, as I usually do, even without trying.

When she was done laughing (although she still had a smile on her face), she got up. I put my hands on her waist and pulled her down in my lap. She didn't laugh.

"Chopper, I- I can't. It's not right," Blaze said.

"What's not right?" I asked.

"It's not fair to Genette," She answered, getting up.

"What do you mean?" I inquired, not liking where this was going.

"It's just, well, you're his best friend and if we started dating, I could ruin your guy's friendship if we broke up and I don't want to risk it," She replied.

"I am!" I replied defensively.

"Well, I'm not Chopper!" She shot back. I sighed.

"Go," I ordered softly. She seemed taken aback and hurt. When Blaze wouldn't leave, I said it more firmly than I should have.

"Chopper, don't be like that," Blaze pleaded.

"Go!" I ordered. Her hurt eyes suddenly filled with anger.

"Fine! If that's the way you want it," Blaze retorted before storming out of the room. I sat down on the couch and put my hand to my head. There went my dream girl.

* * *

**Genette**

From the sky, the morning after, Pops came back like nothing had happened… as if the open sky had always been his one true home.

Only 17 hours had passed since the war began. Yuktobania's war strategies seem to be minutely timed to avoid giving Osea any chance to launch a counterattack.

I got a notice of assignment as a member of the press corps. I guess Captain Hamilton had pulled a few strings for me. Well I didn't waste any time going to work. My first stop was the crew room. I'll admit that the reason I was going there first was because Nagase was there.

I got out my video camera and started to film.

"Second Lieutenant Nagase, inside the crew room. She's sitting by herself, writing something in her book. Nobody knew what she was writing," I said quietly so she wouldn't hear me. She closed her book gingerly and looked out the window as the roar of fighter jet engines sounded from outside.

Looking at Nagase, and thinking of my sister and Chopper and Grimm, I realized these people may well be the story I was looking for all this time. In fact, I was sure of it.

* * *

**Nagase**

"Hey, Genette," I greeted. He was putting his video camera away.

"Hey, Nagase. How are you?" He smiled at me. He came over and sat down on the couch with me.

"I'm good. Have you seen Blaze? I need to talk to her about something."

"Um, I think she's in her room. Wait, never mind. She's over there… and she looks pissed," He pointed out as he furrowed his eyebrows and I had to agree. Her face was like stone and people moved out of her way a little hastily. She didn't seem to notice though. Blaze looked like she was going to explode any minute and no one wanted to be in the way of her when that happened.

"Uh oh, that's not good," I said quietly.

"Seriously. So who should enter the danger zone? You or me?" Genette asked.

"Let me because this looks like a girl problem."

"How can you tell?"

"Because I'm a girl and I know that look on her face. This is something I need to handle. If I need your help, I'll let you know," I said. I got up and walked over to Blaze. Blaze greeted me cheerily as usual but I went straight to the point.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing," Blaze replied but she had paused before her answer so I knew immediately she was lying.

"That's bull. Now what's wrong?" I prodded.

"Let's talk in my room because this has to do with Genette," Blaze muttered. I stood next to Blaze as she finished making her tea and then followed her to her room. Blaze shut the door behind her and sat down on her bed.

"So what has Genette done?" I asked.

"He hasn't done anything but what's wrong kind of has something to do with him," She answered a little hesitantly.

"Spill because I want to know what's making you so upset," I said.

"Okay, so last night, I stayed a little longer with Chopper than everyone else," Blaze started.

"What?! You didn't do what I think you did, did you?" I inquired seriously.

"No! God no! He wanted to show me a scrapbook on the Demon Lord because he knows how much I love the Demon Lord. Anyways-"

"Did you guys kiss?" I asked.

"No! We did nothing like that! Now get you head out of whatever cloud it's in," Blaze said.

"It's out of the cloud. Continue," I ordered.

"So I fell asleep and he must've gotten up and covered me up with a blanket. Anyways, so I wake up and he's passed out on his bed. I think I was so out of it when I walked to my room that I brought his blanket along with me because I woke up with it this morning."

"I don't get it. Why are you mad then?"

"I'm getting to that. So this morning I returned the blanket to him and he invited me in. I said yes because he's my friend and all. He and I sat on the couch and he starts making me laugh which is what he does best. I swear to god that kid should've been a comedian."

"Keep going."

"I get up for some reason, I forget why and he, uh, well, tries to pull me into his lap by putting his hands on my waist," Blaze explained quietly.

"What?!" I exclaimed, now sitting on the edge of the couch.

"Yeah, and this is where Genette comes in although he doesn't know. I'm not mad at Genette though, don't get me wrong." Blaze held up her hands.

"So what happened?" I questioned anxiously.

"I told him that it didn't feel right, that it wasn't fair to Genette. He asked me what I meant and told him that I didn't want to risk ruining his and Genette's friendship if we started dating."

"And what did he say?"

"He said he was willing to risk it."

"Then what?"

"I fired back at him saying that I wasn't."

"Then?" I prodded anxiously.

"He told me to go and I told him not to be like that but then he told me to pretty much get the hell out of his room."

"Did you?"

"I'm here now, aren't I?"

"True. So what are you going to do? Because you can't let this argument impair your flying ability when we're up flying."

"It won't impair me, but I don't know about Chopper."

"Blaze? Why do I get the feeling there is more to this than you're telling me?" I inquired curiously.

"Because there is?" Blaze looked at me sheepishly.

"You like Chopper don't you?"

"Yes! God, I don't want to because he's my brother's best friend but I can't help it. He's so nice and funny and charming and caring and strong and dreamy and-"

"Okay, I get the point; he's your dream guy. Why don't you talk to Genette about dating him?"

"Are you kidding? Genette would hate that! I've never told anyone this before but when we were in high school, his friends all liked me and I ended up dating one of them. It didn't turn out well and he and Genette stopped being friends because of me. That is the reason I don't like dating Genette's friends," Blaze mumbled.

"That does pose a problem doesn't it? Do you want me to talk to Genette?"

"No! I don't want Genette getting any wind of this, at least not from me. If Chopper wants to tell him, that's fine."

"Okay. I won't say anything," I promised.

"Thanks Nagase." Blaze smiled at me and I felt bad for her because I could tell how much she liked Chopper. It was obvious she was trying hard not to like him, but truthfully, she was failing epically.

* * *

**Genette**

**September 29, 2010…**

Something was seriously wrong with Chopper. He wasn't cracking jokes and that was completely unlike him. He couldn't keep his trap shut for more than thirty seconds.

"Genette!" Nagase called to me.

"Hey Nagase. What's wrong with Blaze?"

"Oh, nothing," She said quickly.

"No offense, but that's a bigger lie than saying the sky isn't blue."

"I'm not allowed to tell anyone."

"Why not?"

"Well, you better find out some other way because she won't tell you what's wrong. By the way, I was right. It _is_ a girl problem," Nagase smirked.

"Oh shut up," I said with a grin. "Have you noticed Chopper's been quiet lately?"

"I think everyone has," Nagase pointed out.

"Should we go talk to him?"

"You mean _me_ go talk to him?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Guys don't ask other guys what's wrong."

"It's not macho."

"Precisely."

"Well, then. If he tells me, I'm not telling you," Nagase said.

"What? Why not?"

"If you want to find out what's wrong, you have to come with me."

"Fine. The suspense is too much. Come on." Nagase and I left the crew room and headed to Chopper's room. I knocked on his door and no sound came from inside.

"Chopper?" I asked, knocking again.

"He's in the weight room," someone informed us.

"Thanks!" Nagase and I replied simultaneously. We left Chopper's room and went to the weight room. Just like the person had said, he was there, lifting some weights. Nagase and I walked over to him.

"Hey guys," Chopper greeted us. He kept lifting the weight.

"Chopper, we need to talk to you. It's about Blaze," Nagase whispered.

"What's wrong? Is everything okay?" Chopper asked nonchalantly, setting the weight down kind of quickly.

"We don't know. We were hoping you could shed some light on it," Nagase replied.

"Uh, I do but I don't think Genette really wants to hear it," Chopper said nervously.

"Does all this have something to do with me?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"Uh, you could say that."

"Nagase, I'm glad I came along to figure out what was wrong because I get this biggest feeling this is about Blaze," I muttered.

"Yep, this is why I didn't want to say anything but now that he knows, he won't stop bugging me until I tell him so let's get this over with in my room." Chopper stood up and we all went to his room.

I _knew_ it had something to do with Blaze! I _knew_ it! I had always wondered if Chopper liked Blaze or vice versa because they were so much alike it was scary. Then again, they were completely different. We walked into Chopper's room and sat down.

"Okay," Chopper sighed. "Let's get this over with. The other night, Blaze stayed over a little later than you guys."

"Y'all didn't!" I exclaimed, my southern accent coming out. It always did that when I was surprised or angry.

"That's what I thought when Blaze… ah crap," Nagase swore under her breath.

"Wait, Blaze told you this already?" I looked at Nagase.

"Crap, I wasn't supposed to say anything. I promised her. Dammit, dammit, dammit!"

"What did she say?" Chopper inquired sharply.

"Nothing that you need to worry about," Nagase answered shortly. Chopper looked doubtful, almost hurt, but dropped the subject.

"Continue," I ordered. Chopper took another deep breath.

"We didn't do anything like that. I showed her a scrapbook of the Demon Lord and we talked about all the pictures and whatnot. Around 11:30, 11:45, she fell asleep, so I covered her up with a blanket and went to bed… she was on the couch," Chopper added hastily. "In the morning, she came and returned my blanket which she had accidentally brought with her to her room. We talked on my couch and she got up for some reason, and I tried to get her to stay by pulling her onto my lap."

"What?!" I exclaimed.

"I meant no harm! The thing is… I… I like Blaze," Chopper admitted. He was rubbing his hands together and I knew he was waiting for me to attack him.

"I know," I said. I did know. I had known for a while. Chopper looked shocked.

"Um, she didn't want to date me because she's said she didn't want to ruin our friendship if she and I started dating and then we broke up."

"I know why she said that," I said.

"Why?"

"Because her reason for not wanting to date you happened a long time ago in high school… with Bill Jenkins."

"Oh, I remember that," Chopper said.

"Well, Chopper, if there is anything we can do to help, let us know. Genette and I have to go talk to Grimm. Well, actually, he needs to talk to us so we better get going," Nagase said, standing up. I started to say something about how we didn't need to talk to Grimm but she gave me a look that said trust me, and I did so I shut my trap.

"All right. See you guys later," Chopper replied. Nagase and I left Chopper's room and when I figured we were safe enough so that he wouldn't hear what I was asking.

"So what exactly are we talking to Grimm about?" I asked.

"We're talking to him and Cassie because we are going to get Blaze and Chopper to get each other to talk to each other again," Nagase answered.

"Screw that," I said. Nagase stopped and looked at me.

"What?"

"Screw that! We're going to get them to date each other! I know they both like each other and I don't want to be the cause of them not dating each other," I declared.

"Really? You would risk your friendship for your sister's happiness?" Nagase questioned.

"Absolutely. I wouldn't do it for all friendships but for this one, yes." I smiled. Nagase looked at me and the she shocked me. Nagase kissed me on the cheek.

"That is the sweetest thing I have ever heard. Now don't tell Blaze I did that because she will have my head. Now come on! We have a matchmaker job to do!"

"I feel like I'm in high school again!" I pointed out. Nagase laughed as she and I ran to find Grimm and Cassie.

* * *

**So, please review! :D**


	6. Rendezvous

**Okay, so, this changing every chapter from script to dialogue form is a pain. Geez, I never knew I wrote so much! Y'all are lucky I love this story and that y'all are awesome reviewers… well, at least on FanFiction. On Wattpad, seriously guys, I need reviews. For my FanFiction members, if you go onto Wattpad (I'll post the link on my homepage), you can see the celeb cast for this story along with actual pictures (MOVING ONES) of the characters and there is also a youtube video on each chapter.**

**Now, when I was watching a cutscene so I could make this story accurate, it said "September 31" when they were flying to the Western Coastline. I don't know if in the game, the dates are different or what but in real life, there is no such thing as "September 31" so I'm sticking to real life calendars so instead of September 31, I'm making it October 1. Got it? Good.**

* * *

Chapter 6: Rendezvous

**Grimm**

**September 30, 2010 Briefing Room… **

I sat down in the chair so that Chopper was sitting to left and Nagase was to my right. To

Nagase's right was Blaze. She was as far away from Chopper as possible. I kept wondering why they _still_ weren't talking to each other. It had been three days!

We were listening to Genette. He was talking about how the people against the President's peace treaty were leaving the city. Nagase nodded once in a while in agreement to something Genette said.

Then _she_ walked in. Cassie Petersen. The most beautiful girl on base… well, besides Blaze and Nagase. All guys stared at her as she walked over and sat next to Blaze. Three beautiful girls sitting next to each other was more than most guys could handle. Even Chopper sort of stared at Cassie, but then again, that might've been because he used to date her, however, the relationship lasted barely three days.

Cassie and Blaze had known each other for over ten years. Nagase became friends with Cassie when Cassie came on base. Blaze and Nagase started to talk to Cassie about who knows what. Their conversation didn't make any sense to anyone but them and I think that was the way it was supposed to be. It was something about a person named Maverick and I feel bad for whoever that person is.

"Hey Grimm? How long have you been on base?" Cassie asked me.

"Uh-" I stammered. Then I felt someone's foot digging into mine. It was Chopper's.

"About ten months," I was finally able to say.

"Oh, ok. I came shortly after you," Cassie said. I couldn't believe she was talking to me. Cassie leaned over to Blaze and whispered something, Blaze whispered something back.

"You're kidding me! How is it that the girl that I hate most in the world is here on the same exact base that I'm on? Of all bases, she is stationed here?! These last three days just get better and better," Blaze muttered to Cassie. Chopper overheard the comment and lowered his head, looking ashamed, and he started to fiddle with his thumbs.

"Who is this girl?" I asked.

"Bailey Cohen," Blaze answered with a disgusted look on her face.

"Why do you hate her?"

"Had the biggest jealousy problem and she tries to be just like me. Real annoying," She replied.

"Speak of the devil, here she comes now," Cassie said. I turned to see a short brunette walking in the door, she wasn't bad looking. She looked over our way, gave Blaze a cold, hard stare, and walked to the back of the room.

"I see what you mean," I murmured.

"Attention! Listen up," The Base Commander shouted. "The biggest mistake Yuktobania has made in their blitz attack is that it had failed to sink any of our aircraft carriers. We'll evacuate all intact carriers to our inland sea; then use them as a base to rebuild our counterstrike force. You've been called to service on a very important operation people. Keep that in mind out there."

The briefer cleared his throat and began speaking. "Today at fifteen hundred hours, three carriers from the 3rd Osean Naval Fleet will rendezvous at Eaglin Straits. These carriers are the Vulture, the Buzzard, and the Kestrel, which has successfully escaped Port St. Hewlett thanks to your help. Your mission is to coordinate with the Kestrel and provide top cover for all carriers during the rendezvous. Should you encounter enemy attack, defend the three carriers at all costs. The situation is fluid, so be sure to choose an aircraft with good defensive capability against both air and ground based threats."

Operation: Whirlwind

Location: Eaglin Straits

Date: 2010/09/30

Time: 0930 Hrs.

* * *

**Chopper**

It was nothing. Easiest mission in the world. That's what it was supposed to be. It wasn't just us, but everyone they could get their hands on. General mobilization. Our planes filled the sky like a huge aluminum cloud. There was no way the enemy could attack.

The queens of the ocean made it to the inland sea. We've got it made in the shade now.

Now if only everything in my life could go that smoothly…

* * *

**Grimm**

My first mission, where I was actually starting from the beginning, not coming in the middle of it, was here. I was feeling rather nervous. I was nowhere near as experienced as Blaze and Chopper and Nagase. They were incredible!

"You'll do fine Grimm. Trust me, it's just the 'first actual mission' nerves. I had them too," Blaze had told me earlier before we started this mission.

"Thanks, Blaze," I had replied.

Blaze was in the F-4e, same with Nagase. Chopper was in an A-6e. I was in an F-16. It was a good mixture because two of the planes had air special weapons and the other two had ground special weapons.

"Let's get this show on the road and so we can head on home," I thought.

"This is Thunderhead. We've arrived outside the range of enemy air attack. Permission granted to return to your assigned bases in sequence."

"Finally…" Nagase groaned. We had been in the air for four hours and we were bored because there was absolutely nothing even remotely threatening… except for Blaze because she kept doing wacky maneuvers in the air.

"Now that's what I call good news," I said.

"Aircraft may refuel for the return trip if required. Hold above the carrier for the tanker aircraft," Thunderhead informed.

"Everyone's starting to leave. Can we go yet?" Chopper asked impatiently.

"No." Blaze said it shortly, sharply, and firmly. Three words for that: She was pissed.

"Wardog Squadron, I told you to wait for the tanker plane above the carrier," Thunderhead said almost angrily.

"I swear, man…" Chopper mumbled.

I could see Blaze doing some spirals, Chopper doing some loop de loops and Nagase weaving back and forth…

And then they just stopped. Something had to have come up for them to just quit like that.

That's when I saw it on my radar. Little white dots that represented enemy planes. I shouldn't be getting hits on my radar anymore. We were outside the range of enemy air attack. What the hell was going on here?! Was I the only one seeing this and if I was, was I losing it already? I'm not _that_ old. I'm only twenty-five!

"Hey… what is that? Is my radar on the fritz?" Chopper inquired, utterly confused.

"It's showing up on mine, too," I told him.

"Ditto what Grimm said," Blaze said.

"Same here. And I can't believe you just said 'Ditto' Blaze," Nagase mused.

"I do a lot of unbelievable things. Some I can't believe I did myself," Blaze replied.

"Where'd it come from? How come the morons at Thunder-Blockhead didn't notice it? Yo, Kid!" Chopper shouted.

"You have to call her 'Captain' now," I pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he grumbled. "Hey, you think we oughta report this?"

"No, Chopper. I think we should just keep our traps shut and wait until they notice it," she retorted.

Good lord! Blaze was being so… sarcastic to Chopper! And he was letting her! Chopper never let someone be sarcastic to him without saying something sarcastic back. What was wrong with him? Okay, okay, I know what was wrong with him. He had been rejected by Blaze but you would think that instead of being all submissive, he would be somewhat sarcastic back to her. Chopper being non-sarcastic is like having pizza without cheese… it's just not right. Bad example but you get my point.

"Okay, okay, I got it. We need to report it," he said huffily.

"Enemy approaching! All units, return to your Combat Air Patrol stations! Protect the carriers!" Thunderhead ordered.

There were enemy planes suddenly swarming around us. Blaze had already gotten after a plane and was about to fire a missile at it. God she was lightning fast when it came to engaging enemy aircraft. I had never seen anything like it before and I had seen the Aces of the Osean Air Force before. Let me put it this way. She could whoop their butts.

Chopper was helping Nagase out by trying to shoot down the enemy behind her. Then I went to help out Chopper because he had gotten an enemy after him.

"Captain, uh, we have a problem here," I announced.

"What's wrong?!" She exclaimed.

"These enemy planes won't leave Nagase or Chopper and I can't get a missile lock on them."

"On the count of three, Nagase, you break hard right, Chopper, break hard left and Grimm, you keep following the enemy aircraft so when they're confused, shoot them down. Chopper, you start the countdown because uh, I have an enemy after me and I ticked them off somehow so they're after me so yeah."

"Roger that," Chopper answered.

"Okay," Nagase agreed.

Chopper began the countdown. "One... two... three! Now!"

We all did what Blaze told us to and got away from the enemy. The enemy got confused but unfortunately quickly regained their momentum. At least, however, I was able to shoot one of them down.

Then I heard a groan and a muttered curse over the mic, like something had hurt someone unexpectedly.

And I realized it was Blaze! Shoot! Of course, I said a much more colorful word but we're trying to keep this story somewhat PG-13.

"Blaze!" Chopper exclaimed frantically.

"I'm okay. Everything's functioning normally," she assured, although she sounded somewhat shaky.

"Be careful. We can't lose you," Chopper told her sounding surprisingly gentle.

"I will."

Just so you know exactly what happened, Blaze had been gunned at from an enemy. It hit her on the right side but didn't damage her plane enough for her to have to bail out or anything like that thankfully. Chopper was already racing towards Blaze to help her out and get that blasted enemy off her tail.

* * *

**Chopper**

When Blaze got hit, I became terrified for one of the few times in my life. I loved her more than anything else in the world even though she didn't know it. We may've been in a fight but I couldn't stand it if anything happened to her. I hunted that plane down and when I found it, I got behind it and waited to get a missile lock on it. My missile lock alert signal went off and I fired. Shack on the target! No one was going to hurt Blaze! Only over my dead body could they ever harm her!

* * *

**Grimm**

"We have three carriers. Don't let them sink even one!" Thunderhead instructed.

"Yes sir. Wardog Squadron, engage!" Blaze ordered.

"Chopper, engaging."

"Archer, engaging."

"Edge, engaging."

"This is a narrow channel. We can only move straight ahead," One of the Vulture's crew members said.

"I can't take off. Shoot down those enemy planes for me!" Another guy asked.

"Okay. I'm coming. Hold on," Chopper replied.

"Hurry and launch the carrier jets," The Buzzard's captain said.

Chopper flew down as quickly as he could to help out the Osean squadron waiting to take off from the Kestrel. Blaze and I were going after a new enemy formation that had formed on the horizon. Once again, enemy planes were replacing the ones we shot down and our missile reserves was depleting rapidly.

The clouds that had been hovering above the ships now started to let rain drops fall from them, making the visibility even worse. I had already had enough trouble seeing the planes without the rain. Thanks a lot mother nature.

"Switch to gun fire. Save our remaining missiles," Blaze directed.

"Those bastards think they can just come in and start circling us, huh?" Chopper demanded.

"By the looks of it, I would say yes," I said.

"Visibility is poor. It's the perfect time and place for a surprise attack," Nagase pondered.

"Mmhmm..." Blaze answered softly.

"Yeah, I can't help but feel like everything's working against us," Nagase muttered.

"This is the aircraft carrier Buzzard. Missile strike off our bow. Severe shockwaves."

"Is anyone injured?" Blaze questioned worriedly.

"No, but if we keep getting them, then there is bound to be an injury sooner or later."

"Just hold on! There's no way I'm letting them take over!"

"We appreciate it."

"C'mon, I can do this. I've been through a real battle before," I told myself aloud; it encouraged me more saying it aloud rather than inside my head.

"Shoot them down before they launch any missiles," a Vulture guy said.

Blaze and I fired simultaneously at the enemies we had been chasing and pulled up as quickly as we could. Nagase had finally shot down the plane she had been trailing and had joined me and Blaze in trailing three enemy planes. Chopper was staying a little behind us. I'm not sure if it was to protect us or to stay away from Blaze. My guess is a little of both.

"How did the enemy know when to attack?" Nagase queried.

"I was wondering about that too," Blaze admitted.

"Something's strange here, but I'm not sure what. Is that what an enemy attack is usually like?" I asked.

"No, it's not," Nagase responded grimly.

"Let the Air Force defend that area," a deep voice came on.

"I didn't know you were on this mission Captain Snow," Blaze said.

"Yeah, I was called at the last minute," Snow told her. I had figured Swordsman, or Captain Snow, whichever you prefer, was on this mission. I didn't know for sure though because I hadn't heard from him for a while. The only reason I knew him was because I had listened to the radio chatter from when Port St. Hewlett was attacked.

I really didn't know what to think of Captain Snow. I've heard that he's nice and then from some people, meaning Chopper, I've heard he can be a real jerk. Apparently, Chopper was in Captain Snow's way and Captain Snow told Chopper to get out of his way in a very unfriendly way. But that's all I know so I guess I will have to meet him in person to know for sure.

"We've got our own work to do," Snow snapped.

"You talking to me?" Blaze inquired.

"No," Snow told her hastily.

"You even up yet?"

"No… dammit… they're getting the catapult ready and they're taking too damn long!"

I also heard he had anger issues… or maybe it was patience issues. Well, they kind of go hand in hand but I'm going to go with patience issues to be on the safe side because I really didn't want to get on his bad side by saying he had anger issues. Then again, he would probably never find out what I thought because I don't think he and I would be going on many missions together.

"So that's the fleet that made it through our blockade…" A Yuke said pensively.

"We're making one pass at a time. Fly hard, shoot straight," another enemy ordered.

"There are a lot of them. Captain, I suggest we disperse," Nagase advised.

"Good idea. Disperse." To be honest, Blaze didn't sound like she was completely here with us… what I mean is I think she was deep in thought.

"Roger. Breaking formation for now. Edge, splitting off!"

"It's impossible for them to evade us out here," A Yuke declared smugly.

"No it's not. You're in our air space you know," Blaze pointed out.

"Full speed ahead. Rendezvous with the remaining two carriers ASAP," A guy from the Kestrel shouted.

"The carrier aircraft are airborne," Chopper informed.

"All right, I'm airborne. Come up and get me," Snow growled.

"Oh, they're finally here. What took you guys so long?" Chopper joked, but the sarcasm seemed to be forced.

"You really expect me to answer that?" Snow asked bluntly.

"Nope, just wanted to piss you off."

"Well you're doing a fantastic job dimwit."

Chopper and Captain Snow don't have problems with each other at all, now do they? I snorted mentally at that because that was such a lie. God, was there anyone above Chopper's rank that Chopper didn't insult or piss off at least once?

Blaze and Nagase teamed up and went to help out the carriers while Chopper and I tried to shoot down enemy planes on the horizon. I counted ten planes, not including the four in the horizon that Chopper and I were going after. How could the enemy have so many planes? Let alone have enough pilots to pilot them. It was insane! Crazy! Absurd! I will give credit to the Yukes that they have some very _persistent_ pilots.

"Captain! Look out! There's a bandit on your tail!" I yelled.

"Could someone get over here and get him off me?!" Blaze snapped.

"I'm coming," Chopper told her immediately.

"All personnel to battle stations!" An Osean said. I wasn't sure what ship he was from.

"Captain Snow, you're responsible for the air defense effort," the captain of the Kestrel said. I think his name was Andersen…

"Roger, Captain. I won't let you down. All right, gentlemen, it's time to clean house.

"Never heard that saying before during a mission," Blaze mused.

"Well now you have

"Shot one down!" Nagase announced victoriously.

"Me too!" Blaze added.

"Me three!" Chopper jumped in.

Last but not least, there was me. "Me four!"

Blaze said, "I just realized "Me too" has a double meaning when you're the second to say it."

"Wow, Blaze." I laughed.

"What?" She queried innocently.

"That was very random," Nagase observed.

"Nagase, I would think by now that you know how random I am. It's part of my charm."

"And blondeness, don't forget that part," Nagase told her.

"Oooh you shut up," Blaze snapped airily. I could just see Nagase grinning and I was laughing. Blaze told me playfully to shut up but I laughed even harder. I couldn't help it. It was so much fun making fun of Blaze being blonde because she could be really, _really_ blonde. Don't get me wrong, Blaze it brilliant! Especially when it comes to flying! But she can also be the stereotypical blonde. Let's see, she trips going _up_hill, trips over _nothing_, trips over _herself_, runs into walls, poles, people, and that's only half of it. It's hard to believe that she was a straight A student her middle and high school years. Hell, probably in her elementary years too.

"Watch your altitude while executing your mission," a Yuke admonished.

"Viper 9, engage," an Osean ordered their squadron. I think they guy was from the Buzzard. "Hold your fire until the enemy's within range."

"Those guys don't know when to quit. It's really starting to tick me off," Chopper claimed.

"Me too, Chopper, me too," Nagase solemnly agreed.

"They're moving in a straight line. Just shoot and you'll hit them," Another Yuke said in annoyance. I guess his comrades weren't doing a good job of getting rid of us. Carry out your mission to the end."

Blaze had shot down yet another enemy. Chopper had shot one down too. Nagase was firing at an enemy and I was trying to find an enemy. Yeah, sorry a lot of enemy's in those two sentences. Well, what can I say? There are a lot of enemies in the air so get over it.

I wanted this mission to be over. I wanted to go back to base, get together with Cassie, Nagase, and Genette and go over our plan one more time for getting Chopper and Blaze together. We had a basic idea but we needed a better outline of it so none of us screwed it up. Nagase had told us she would formulate the plan and I believed her. Nagase had always been good at technical things such as plans. I was good at executing them… Chopper and Blaze were good at screwing everyone else's plans up. I think that's why they made such a good couple.

"That's a textbook follow-on attack. I should be takin' notes," Chopper observed.

"Small number of enemy escort planes. They should not disrupt our attack," An enemy pilot stated. He had no idea how wrong he was.

"That's my goal ya Yuke," Blaze chirped.

"Blaze, I don't think they can hear you," Nagase mentioned.

"I wouldn't care if they could hear me."

"I know you wouldn't." Nagase chuckled.

"Here they come again. Keep an eye on your fuel gauge! Mine is half full," Nagase informed.

"Mine is half full. Wardog Squadron, update on fuel gauge," Blaze requested. Chopper and I both replied that ours were half full.

"Target confirmed. I'm going in," A Yuke pilot announced. "All aircraft, disperse and proceed to your targets. Balm one and Balm two, take out the captain of that enemy formation over there."

"Roger," a different Yuke said. I guessed he was Balm One.

Then I comprehended the fact that they were going after Blaze! I had to do something. Chopper had overheard the enemy and was after both of the enemies trailing Blaze. There was something off here… about Chopper and Blaze I mean. Chopper and Blaze weren't talking to each other but whenever an enemy was after Blaze, Chopper would go after that enemy and shoot it down. I know that you have to protect the Captain but Chopper didn't even give Nagase or me a chance to help Blaze out. He was always the first to help her… no matter what. I wondered if Chopper thought that if he helped Blaze out enough, that she would forgive him for what he had done three or four days ago.

"This is Halo 2. Have the three carriers met up yet?" An Osean inquired.

"This is the Kestrel. It'll be a little longer before we meet."

"Roger. Don't take too long."

"Engage the enemy out of range. Keep our defensive line intact," Snow instructed.

"Can we jettison our anti-ship missiles to turn and burn with the enemy escort fighters?" A Yuke groaned.

"Negative. The attack on the fleet takes top priority."

"Multiple bandits on radar. Heads up, they're firing long-range anti-ship missiles," Thunderhead announced. "Do not allow them to get in range. Fly out to intercept."

"Roger," Blaze replied

"Kid, it seems some of these guys are packing anti-ship missiles. Can you see any?" Chopper questioned.

"No, but that doesn't mean a thing," she told him.

"Me neither, but it'll be trouble of they are out there. We'll take 'em before they can approach the ships."

"Enemy fighters closing in on carrier," Thunderhead said.

Blaze and Nagase were flying towards the horizon to intercept the bandits that were firing anti-ship missiles. Chopper and I stayed back to stay with the carriers. I saw an enemy and did a 180 degree turn to intercept it. It was heading straight for the Kestrel.

"Oh no you don't!" I thought as I got right behind it. The enemy went up and so did I. He went left then right then up, up, up, then all the way down towards the ocean. I never let him out of my sight once. Now he was weaving from left to right but still I didn't leave him. Chopper was coming head-on. He fired two missiles at the plane and hit it. The enemy fell in a fiery ball towards the dark blue water of the ocean.

" Watch out for the reefs," a girl from the Buzzard cautioned.

"Warning! Enemy fighters within range to fire anti-ship missile! Defend the carrier!" Thunderhead ordered.

"Dammit!" Blaze exclaimed.

"This is the aircraft carrier Vulture. Missile strike off our bow. Severe shockwaves."

"Make sure you get the timing right. The enemy won't wait around to get hit," A Yuke said.

"They're approaching from the south too," An Osean soldier informed.

"I see them. Moving to intercept," One of our allied pilots said.

"Blaze just shot one down," Chopper said. I don't know why, but it struck me odd that Chopper would announce when Blaze shot an enemy plane down yet he refused to talk to her. Maybe it's just me, but still…

"Full speed ahead! Leave the area at once," the captain of the Vulture barked.

"We have to protect the carrier, no matter what," a crew member added. "If we're attacked here, we're toast."

"You _are _being attacked here you idiots!" Blaze pointed out angrily.

"Evade! Move it!" A guy shouted from the Buzzard. Well that didn't sound good…

I was wishing with all my heart (yeah, corny, I know) to come out of this battle alive. I had already had some close calls. If it hadn't been for Nagase, Blaze, Chopper, and some sheer, dumb luck, I would probably not be here.

I was thinking about Cassie. I was actually becoming more comfortable around her (thanks to Chopper). If it hadn't been for him, I would probably still be turning a bright red when she walked in the room and stuttering gibberish whenever she talked to me.

"I'm going to make it out of this battle alive. I've got to!" I thought.

"All enemy attack planes confirmed destroyed. Area sanitized," a relieved Thunderhead informed.

"Nice work, Wardog," Snow praised. There was a tone in his voice I couldn't quite place… was it surprise? It would make the most sense since we have a female for a captain (there are only three or four women captains in the Air Force), our captain is super young (actually, we're _all_ young), and none of us had much battle experience.

"Thank you. Nice work Swordsman," Blaze said.

"Thank you."

"Wardog, your air defense mission is complete. Hold for the tanker aircraft above the Kestrel," Thunderhead instructed.

"Get back in formation and cover me.

"Roger," Chopper, Nagase, and I said at the same time.

I shifted my plane towards Blaze's plane and raced to my formation position, which was her six o'clock. Chopper and Nagase came zooming past and slammed hard on their brakes to stay in their position. We were really high up, like, at twenty thousand feet and I had no idea why but I didn't have the guts to ask Blaze when she was in such a snappy mood. Blaze started going down once we were all in our positions and headed to the Kestrel. We followed, keeping a tight formation.

"Ballistic missile incoming!" A guy from the Buzzard shouted.

"A ballistic missile?" I asked worriedly. "Where'd they launch that from?"

"What the hell?!" Blaze demanded.

Where in the world did they launch a ballistic missile from? All enemy aircraft in the area were destroyed so how could they? Unless they had a ship somewhere but we didn't see any ships on our radar. Chopper was cursing and Blaze added a few words to his tantrum. Nagase was asking for any information on where it came from.

"Hey… what's that?" A Vulture guy murmured.

We got into formation and went about 5,000 feet, just before the ballistic missile exploded.

The explosion was absolutely ginormous! My whole plane shook violently and I had trouble keeping it straight and not running into Blaze. Her plane seemed to not shake at all but maybe that was because I was shaking so much from the blast.

"Allied squadron wiped out! What happened?!" An allied pilot inquired frenetically.

"The carrier, the carriers hit! It's tipping!" Someone shouted. I was in so much shock that I hadn't looked on my screen to see who was talking.

"What carrier?! Which one?!" Blaze shouted.

"The Buzzard!" The guy replied.

"No!" She exclaimed, horrified.

"Someone! Anyone! What's happening?" Nagase pleaded.

"I don't know! Everything below 5,000 feet was just annihilated!" Snow replied.

Somehow, we were high enough to not be damaged by the ballistic missile. It was sheer, dumb luck, plus Blaze knew what she was doing. However, I don't remember "avoiding being blown up by ballistic missiles" being in our training so how did she know? I swear that girl could tell the future with how accurate her instincts were.

"Second missile incoming!" Thunderhead yelled.

"Dammit!" Snow muttered. "Listen up, if you want to survive, then climb above five thousand feet before that thing hits!"

All the remaining planes gained altitude as fast as they could, most of them going to ten thousand feet. We, however, went to about seven thousand feet. I was guessing Blaze wanted to make sure the carriers the Vulture and Kestrel were all right but I felt we were still way too close.

"All units, move it! Kestrel, evasive action!" Snow ordered.

"What're we gonna do, Kid? I'll follow you," Chopper said.

"Are they sure it's five thousand feet?" I queried dubiously.

"They're sure," Blaze replied.

"Okay. I trust you Blaze."

"That makes one of us…" she mumbled.

I wasn't quite sure if that information was accurate, but I trusted Blaze. Chopper trusted her enough that he told her he would follow her orders and I think that's all she wanted.

"People are spilling off the decks!" Nagase cried.

"There goes another ship!" Chopper shouted.

"Dammit! How is this happening?" Blaze demanded.

Thunderhead started counting down. "Ten seconds to next impact. Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two ,one, impact!"

The noise the ballistic missile created was deafening. The impact from the explosion made my plane shake violently (again), but this time giving me a headache in the process.

"Oh no, another one!" Someone yelled.

"The Vulture took a direct hit! She's sinking!"

"How… How could this happen to our fleet?" Snow stammered.

"Heavy damage! All hands, abandon ship!" A soldier from the Vulture barked.

"What the hell was that attack? It was like molten steel raining down on us!" another guy shouted. Our navy was frantic and I couldn't blame them. Most questions ranged from "What's going on? Somebody, tell me!" to "How did we come to this?"

Those two questions were what we all wanted answered. How did we come to this? Why did we start this war? When did this all happen? Who started this war? When would it end? What is going on? Those were the questions we all wanted answers for… and none of us had any of them.

"This is the Kestrel. All surviving aircraft, respond." The guy sounded dazed and after everything that happened, it was no surprise.

"This is Swordsman. I managed to stay alive… Looks like the Wardog squad made it, too."

We dipped down to almost 100 feet to look at the damage.

"Two aircraft carriers lost… I can't believe this is all that's left of our force," I chewed over aloud solemnly.

"We don't have enough fuel to get back to base, either," Chopper observed.

Great…

"Wardog Squadron, we can't get a tanker aircraft over to you. Proceed northeast to Heierlark Base, land and refuel," Thunderhead ordered.

"Hey! Kid!" Chopper shouted.

I said, "You really should start calling her 'Captain.'"

"Forget it. If she's a Captain, then I want her to start trash-talkin' like a Captain."

"Forget it Chopper. I'm not trash-talkin'. In case you've forgotten, I'm not Bartlett, okay? I'm sorry!" Blaze snapped.

He was silent before saying, "Man, I'm missing that voice real bad now."

"… Me too," she agreed. Blaze's voice seemed a little shaky when she said that. I couldn't tell if she was shaken from being hit earlier on during this mission or if she was upset about Chopper's comment. I wasn't going to let anyone talk to her or about her that way though, even if they were family or friends that said it.

"She's got us back alive from battle for the second time. As far as I'm concerned, she's our Captain now," I declared.

"That's right," Nagase agreed. "And I'll never lose my lead plane again. No matter what."

That shut Chopper right up.

The briefer informed us on the current situation as we headed to Heierlark Base. "The enemy attack squadron has withdrawn from the area. The aircraft carriers Vulture and Buzzard were sunk by a powerful burst missile attack. According to hydrophone data analysis, we have determined that the attack was carried out by the Scinfaxi, a Yuktobanian underwater attack carrier. The specs of this ship are unknown, but its existence confirms that the advanced ship building efforts of Yuktobania have been going unabated since the last war. The Scinfaxi is a serious threat to our objectives.

"- - Emergency transmission from Central. Our army has decided to deploy the military power of the Arkbird to neutralize the grave threat posed by this new enemy submarine."

* * *

**Nagase**

We set off for the northern region to refuel. This place is paradise compared to what's further ahead.

Beyond our destination lies the closed gate to Nord Belka.

Fifteen years ago, the Belkans set off seven nuclear bombs there to stave off the advancing allied forces, entombing themselves to the frozen valleys to the north. That bit of history should've been enough of a lesson for us all. The seven Belkan cities near the gate were vaporized and the local area is still highly radioactive.

Our landing point was in the state of North Osea, formerly a haven for Belkans but now entrusted to Osean rule. If you refer to it by that name in front of a local though, he'll put a scowl on his face and tell you that this is South Belka.

Heierlark meant a lot to us. Our flight training took place here on this airfield. I remember when Blaze and I had classes together and we would be partners in missions and we would kick everyone's butt, including our instructors. Our instructors kept telling us to follow the book, to not pull anything fancy, but it was when we pulled off fancy stuff that we won the missions so we did it anyway. Fancy tricks were also the reason we got onto Sand Island.

On the base, we were surrounded by junior cadets eager to hear war stories. The newspaper article about us, written by Genette, made it here faster than we did.

Somewhere along the line, we had become the most experienced pilots in the entire war. Us, Captain Bartlett's nuggets. How that happened, I have no idea.

Another thing I had no idea how it happened was how Blaze, the youngest pilot on base, was already a captain. That was incredible!

* * *

**October 1, 2010, 751 Hours…**

In the morning, we were directed to take these twelve inexperienced pilots back with us to Sand Island, which none of us were too happy about. They had only basic training, which is not good for long flights. We were used to flying long flights with mid-air refueling. Having to stop at every base along the way was a pain and it was making me, Chopper, Blaze, and Grimm a little… grouchy.

"Man, we'd better thank Pops for this," Chopper said, sounding unnaturally cheerful since I knew for a fact he wasn't a morning person.

"Why's that?" Grimm asked.

"'Cuz, he's the guy who pounded basic fighter maneuvers into us. Now we can lord it over all these guys."

"You said it," I agreed, although more with how Pop's trained us, not on lording it over these guys.

These pilots had only a tenuous grasp of flying, much less mid-air refueling, so we had to land at every base along the way. I can't believe we have to send them off to guard the western coastline…

* * *

**October 1, 2010, 1557 Hours…**

We finally reached Miramar, Osea (it's on the Western coast of Osea). We dropped off the nuggets and after refueling, headed back to Sand Island. By the time we got to Sand Island, it was five o'clock and time for supper. All of us were starving because we had only had breakfast at Heierlark and a small snack in Jamestown. The three of us rushed to the dining room where people were already lining up to get their food. We got in line and waited impatiently. Genette came running towards us and he hugged Blaze first.

"Thank god you're all right," he said. "I heard you got hit. Are you all right?"

"Yeah, just shaken up," Blaze replied.

"Hey Nagase," Genette greeted me with a hug. Blaze tucked in her lips as if trying not to smile. What on earth could she be thinking of? Of course, I probably didn't want to know.

"Hey, Genette," I answered, returning his hug. He gave Chopper and Grimm a high-five and then got in line behind us. It took us about ten minutes for us to get our food, which turned out to be a hot turkey and cheese sandwich and a huge chocolate chip cookie. It was all surprisingly good. When we were all done, we went to our rooms. I showered, put on my pajamas, and went directly to bed. I was just about to fall asleep when someone knocked on my door. I groaned and went to open the door. Genette, Cassie, and Grimm were standing there.

"Hey, sorry we woke you up," Genette apologized.

"It's okay. Are you here to talk about the plan?" I asked.

"Yep," Cassie replied.

"Then come on in." I moved aside and the three of them walked into my room. I shut the door and walked over to my bed.

"All right," I started. "I was thinking of a plan before I fell asleep."

"What is it?" Grimm inquired.

"All right," I began. "First things first, Genette, you're going to have to tell Blaze that you don't mind if she and Chopper date."

* * *

**Please review people! I want them! I **_**need**_** them!**


	7. White Bird Part 1

**Hi, Wisegirl here! Hope y'all are enjoying this story so far and I know I say that practically every chapter but it's the truth. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 7: White Bird(Part 1)

**October 2, 2010…**

**Grimm**

"Blaze? You in there?" I asked knocking.

"Come on in Grimm," She replied. I opened the door and walked to the couch. Her room was very representative of her. We all had to have the same bed sheets and whatnot and curtains furniture but as for decoration goes, you can do anything you want. She had pictures all over the place of her, her friends, places she wants to go (which is a lot) and pictures she took. Blaze was amazing at taking photos.

"Everything okay?" I inquired. Blaze looked awfully pale and to tell you the truth, it was kind of scaring me. I mean, Blaze always looked so strong and unbreakable. It was scary to see her like she was now… like she was vulnerable. I mean, I know that everyone has a weakness and all and everyone is vulnerable but seeing Blaze who never looked weak or scared or anything like that is just… something new to me.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just shook up, that's all," Blaze answered.

"Is it from being hit in the last mission?" I asked.

"Most of it," She replied.

"What's the other part?"

"Nothing," She mumbled, waving her hand.

"Is it because of what Chopper said in his room to you four or five days ago?" She looked up at me with a look of surprise.

"No, it's not that. It's something else he said." She picked up a book, avoiding eye contact now.

"Listen, he told me about the fight. You should see him. He's not taking this too well," I told her.

"Why do I care? He told me to go so I did," She fired back. She suddenly buried her hands in her face. "I'm sorry Grimm. I didn't mean to snap at you like that."

I walked over to her and sat next to her on the bed, putting my arm around her kind of awkwardly.

"Don't worry about it; I know what you're going through. It's happened to me before," I said.

"Really?" Blaze looked up. She wasn't crying, but she was definitely close to it.

"Yep. I loved my best friend's sister and she loved me, but not in the way I thought she did. She decided that her brother was more important. You can guess what happened."

"I'm sorry Grimm," She whispered, as I took my arm off her.

"By the way, I know you're probably not in the mood for talking but, um, do you know if Cassie likes me?" I inquired, shutting my eyes tight while I waited for the answer.

"Does she like you? Are you serious?! You haven't figured it out yet?! Grimm, you poor, poor thing. Grimm, she has had the biggest crush on you since she saw you!" She exclaimed. I opened one and looked at her.

"Really? I thought you were going to say I was crazy for thinking a girl like that could like me," I answered sheepishly. Blaze chuckled. It was a small one but it made me feel a little better that she was still able to laugh somewhat. I opened my other eye.

"If you're going to ask her out though, make sure you ask her out yourself," Blaze ordered as the door opened.

"Have any of you guys seen Nagase?" Genette inquired.

"No, I haven't, but I'll help look," Blaze offered. I offered to help too.

"Oh, by the way Blaze, just so you know, if Chopper ever asks you out, I'm okay with it." Genette whispered to her as she walked past him. Blaze stared at him, stunned, and inhaled sharply. I knew Genette was going to say that.

Blaze and Chopper didn't know it but Genette, Cassie, Nagase, and I were trying to get them back together. Nagase would be talking to Chopper in his room, I would talk to Blaze, and Genette would come in to look for Nagase and Blaze (being Blaze) would help her brother look for Nagase. Blaze would just _happen _to run into Cassie and Cassie would tell Blaze where Nagase would be and then Blaze would _have_ to go to Chopper's room to get Nagase. Nagase's part in this was to talk to Chopper into talking to Blaze again and get this straightened out. The only flaw in the plan was that when Blaze came in and Nagase left, is would Chopper talk to her or not. We decided to take the chance.

* * *

**Blaze**

I was walking down the hall looking for Nagase, thinking about what Genette had said, when I ran into Cassie. I mean, literally ran into her.

"Sorry, Cassie!"

"No problem Blaze," Cassie said.

Do you know where Nagase is?" I asked her.

"Yeah, she's with Chopper. Chopper looked awful last time I saw him. I wonder why. Bye!" Cassie said.

Damn it… I took a deep breath and headed for Chopper's room. I could hear quiet chatter behind the door. I heard a few words and figured out they were talking about me.

"I hate Blaze," Chopper's voice came through the door. What?!

"Why?" Nagase's understanding voice replied. I waited but couldn't make out anything else.

I knocked softly on the door and I could hear Chopper's voice say it's open. I opened the door and walked in. Nagase and Chopper were sitting across from each other. Chopper turned to look at me and his face flushed a deep crimson.

"Genette's looking for you Nagase," I informed her.

"Oh, okay. See you later Chopper," Nagase told him as she hurriedly got up to go see Genette. I started to leave the room.

"Blaze, can I talk to you?" Chopper asked quietly.

"Why? I thought you hated me," I inquired grimly. He stood up and walked over to me. He was almost a head taller than me. His blue eyes staring into mine, he continued walking towards me. I leaned up against the wall with arms folded across my chest and my feet crossed when he reached me.

"Where did you hear that?" he asked, looking stunned.

"I heard you say it just now. Is that what you wanted to tell me?" I asked. I started to walk to the door but he grabbed my arm.

"I did say that but not in that way," he answered.

"Then what do you mean by it?" I questioned defiantly. "Because usually when someone hates another person, it's usually not good, Chopper."

"I hate you because you make it so damn hard to get over you," he answered.

"So it's my fault then?" I demanded indignantly.

"No, it's not. It's mine. It's mine for falling head over heels for my best friend's little sister. Damn it, Blaze. Has is ever occurred to you that maybe the guy you want is me?" Chopper looked at me with thoughtful blue eyes, but they were guarded. He was scared I was going to say no. It had occurred to me though. Many, many, many, _many_ times!

"Is that all?" I inquired, wanting to get out of there because he wouldn't stop looking at me. He put one hand on my neck and one cupped my cheek and he kissed me long and soft on the lips… and I enjoyed every second of it.

"What was that for?" I breathed, semi-dazed from the fact that my brother's best friend just kissed me. He didn't answer. I wanted him to kiss me again. I know that's wrong on so many levels seeing as how he was my brother's best friend and we weren't even dating but damn that was a good kiss!

"I also wanted to apologize for what I said the other day and yesterday. Blaze, you and I may not have been speaking to each other… but that, uh, didn't and still doesn't change the fact about the way I feel about you. When you got hit by that gunfire during our last mission, I almost lost it. I seriously thought I wouldn't be able to fly after anything else until I had killed that fighter. Blaze… I never want to see you get hurt," Chopper explained while twirling my hair with his finger. I was shocked and ashamed. I knew Chopper liked me, but I didn't know he liked me that much. Then I realized his hands were on my hips. I also realized how much I liked him. No, I didn't like. I loved him… whoa, did I just say that?

"Chopper I'm sorry," I apologized miserably, hanging my head and putting my hands to my face. "I was afraid that if we started dating and broke up that it would ruin your friendship with my brother and-"

Chopper lifted my chin up and looked me straight in the eye.

"It's my fault. I should've asked your brother. I was so excited about the thought of you maybe being my girlfriend that I didn't think to ask him. I'm terribly sorry. Will you please forgive me?" Chopper pleaded. I stared into his blue eyes and he stared into mine. I gently put my hands on his face.

"I do," I said. He smiled and leaned over and kissed me on the lips. I kissed back. We weren't French kissing or anything like that, we weren't at that stage in the relationship yet, but my arms were wrapped around him and his arms lifted me up into the air.

"Well I better go ask for your brother's permission," Chopper announced. He headed to the door but I grabbed him.

"There's no need, he's already told me that it's okay," I told him. Chopper's smile went as wide as it could go.

"I'm glad that's all settled. Will you be my girlfriend?" Chopper asked.

"I'd love to be!" I exclaimed and he kissed me again.

* * *

**Nagase**

I was on my way to the couch in the break room. It was the best place on base to relax. It was the one place where everything around me would disappear and I could concentrate on what I was doing. I sat down and opened up my book.

* * *

**Genette**

Focusing my camera, I snapped the picture of Nagase. The way she was sitting, and the way the light was shining down on her, it looked like a painting. She suddenly turned her head towards me. She smiled and patted the seat next to her.

"What're you taking pictures for?" she queried.

"I've been given an assignment by the press corps to make a scrapbook of my time here. I'm going to make multiple copies so if you want one, I can make one for you," I told her.

"I'd like that," She said. Nagase was the only girl on base that was my type. Cassie was too loud for me, and I couldn't date Blaze because she was my sister and that would be way too creepy for me to even think about (plus she was dating Chopper now). Nagase was always calm and cool. I liked her as a crush, but I wasn't so sure that she liked me in the same way. The problem was that she was Blaze's best friend. Crap…

* * *

**Blaze**

"Grimm asked me out!" Cassie announced as she walked into my room.

"I thought he would." I grinned. "So how did he ask you?"

"He came right up to me, and after a long conversation, he asked me out," She explained.

"You two make a great couple," I told her.

"You really think so?" she asked, looking hopeful and dubious at the same time.

"Yeah," I reassured her.

* * *

**Briefing Room, October 3, 2010…**

**Genette**

I sat down next to Nagase. Blaze and Chopper were sitting next to each other again and they were holding hands. Blaze looked radiant and Chopper was literally beaming. It was like they were high school crushes that just found out each other liked each other.

Cassie was on the other side of Blaze. Next to Cassie was Grimm, and next to Grimm was Nagase. Cassie was part of the control tower workers and had asked to be present at the briefings (she didn't say it was because of Grimm). Although, now, she was training to be a RIO and Grimm would just happen to choose her as his RIO when she was ready.

They were all talking about James, how all the girls on base hated him after what he did to his ex-girlfriend.

"Say cheese guys!" I told them. They all looked at me and smiled. It was a great picture.

"Well, I'm glad he's gotten what he's deserved!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Me too," Blaze added. Chopper looked at her. It seemed that they were sending telepathic messages to each other.

"Oh yeah, I've been meaning to ask you Genette, why are you taking our pictures?" Chopper inquired.

"I'm making a scrapbook of my time here. It's a project I have to do for my assignment. If you want, I can make copies and give you one," I told him. There was a chorus of yeses.

"It'll take me until this war ends though," I told them.

"Why does it take that long?" Grimm questioned.

"I'm required to put all the pictures in it," I explained.

"Oh, that makes sense. Sort of," Grimm said.

"The briefing is starting," Blaze announced. We all got quiet.

The briefer cleared his throat before beginning (I swear to god this guy is a robot). "An SSTO craft launch facility lies to the east of our current location, McNealy Air Force Base. The facility was a collaborative project between Osea and Yuktobania. It was built to be a bridge to outer space, with a mass driver 7.5 miles in length. Our radar has detected several planes from a Yuktobanian squadron approaching the facility from several directions. The facility is currently conducting pre-launch operations for an SSTO craft. The Base Commander will provide you with further orders."

Operation: Silver Bridge

Location: Basset Space Center

Date: 03/10/2010

Time: 0930 HRS.

"This is the Commander of McNealy Air Force Base. All units, including those refueling at this base, are now under my command. Engage the incoming enemy. All untrained pilots are barred from taking off. Those guys are still kids!" the Commander ordered.

We left to go to our planes, which were the same as last time because we didn't have time to choose different planes. The mission was too critical.

* * *

**Nagase**

The moment we reached McNealy Air Force base, a soldier announced, "Ten minutes to launch. Commencing countdown."

I remember this space center well. The mass driver was built by Osea and Yuktobania as part of their collaborative efforts to construct an international space station. Our anti-war President used the surplus funds that came from cutting the defense budget to build it.

* * *

**Blaze**

We were in the vicinity of the base when Grimm inquired, "Is that the Arkbird?"

I looked up at the white bird. There was something about it that made it somewhat intimidating. Maybe it was its size… or maybe it was because I knew how powerful it was.

* * *

**Nagase**

The Arkbird… A white bird built as the first step towards the realization of the space station project. Now it's left its orbit and is just low enough to graze the atmosphere. It's coming down to pick up the laser cannon they're about to launch.

They, meaning Yuktobania and Osea, were building a "bridge of peace," that would span into outer space. Not anymore. The machinery meant for this peaceful mission was about to be used for our counterattack. Horribly ironic…

* * *

**Blaze**

"Hey, listen," Chopper said.

"Yes?" Grimm replied.

"Isn't that thing s'posed to work like a satellite? Why'd it climb down all this way?" Chopper queried.

"It's a maneuverable orbiting spacecraft," Grimm noted.

"I know that," my boyfriend (I just wanted to say that) said in annoyance. "I'm just saying, if the system uses atmospheric friction to change its orbit, then wouldn't that make it pretty hard to defend itself?"

"Hmm… I guess it'd be in trouble if someone started firing right now," Grimm admitted.

"Yeah. So shouldn't it be higher up, then?"

"Yeah, it should be," I agreed. "Why is it so low then?"

"That's what I've been asking!"

We were interrupted by a soldier from the base. "Continue countdown. Three minutes to launch."

"Halt the countdown! Enemy incoming! This is the Base Air Defense Command! The enemy has a large formation of transport planes escorted by a squadron of fighters. They're conducting an air assault to capture this base."

"What?! They're actually planning to invade Osea?" Nagase exclaimed.

"I can't believe it! Are they actually stupid enough to do that with that small amount of planes?" Grimm inquired in shock.

"They have something up their sleeve. I'm positive," I declared.

"Uh oh, Blaze is having one of those psychic intuitions. Everyone better listen to her," Chopper chirped.

"You don't feel it?" I asked seriously.

"Feel what?"

"That feeling something is off."

"Not even one hair on my head," Chopper answered.

I could see the enemy transports coming. They were coming in diagonally from my view, so most likely, if I fired a missile, it would miss. I got behind one of the transport planes. It dropped something with a parachute attached to it. It was an airborne tank! God, how I hate those things! So I had been right! The enemy did have something up their sleeve! And of course it had to be something hard to shoot down. Why couldn't the enemy slip up just once to make my job easy? Just one time, that's all I'm asking for. Sheesh! But, knowing my luck, that would never happen.

"If we shoot the parachutes before the tanks detach, we'll smash them into the ground. You with me?" Chopper said.

"Loud and clear," I agreed.

"I guess we don't have any other choice… I can't believe that's our strategy," he mumbled.

"Destroy all the tanks first. We'll worry about the planes later. Disperse," I ordered.

"Roger! Edge, breaking formation."

"Roger," Grimm and Chopper said simultaneously.

"Airborne tanks are dropping from the transport plane!" Grimm shouted.

"We know!" I told him bluntly.

"Can you count all those parachutes? I gave up already!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Don't give yourself a headache by counting them. Give yourself a headache by trying to shoot them down!" I commanded.

"Destroy all airborne ACVs. Engage them in the air and ground," Air Defense Command barked at us. "The ACVs are moving this way. Don't let them get near the mass driver."

Chopper was after one of the enemy fighters along with Grimm because they had been trying to shoot us down so we split up the jobs. Nagase and I would shoot the ACV's and Chopper and Grimm would make sure she and I didn't get shot down.

Nagase was going after the enemy transports after I thought that if we destroy the planes, then we also destroy the tanks inside of them.

I was going after the enemy ACVs. I shot one of the tanks and the explosion it caused was huge. Grimm announced that he had shot down one of the enemy fighters, Chopper and Nagase added on that they had also shot down enemy planes and ACVs.

I flew to the other side of the mass driver where two ACVs were rapidly moving towards a pillbox. There were wicked fast little devils. I have always despised ACVs, I still do, and I always will.

"There's too many of them. We can't take them all out in the air," Nagase observed.

"Then that means we'll have to take some out when they hit the ground," I said.

"Some of the tanks appear to have taken damage when they hit the ground," Nagase noted.

"Then hit them first," I told her

One of the launcher staff informed, "Multiple enemy aircraft overhead! They're coming this way!"

Another guy added, "Chief, this is unacceptable! Please, restart the countdown!"

"ACV destroyed! Wahoo!" I piped up cheerfully.

"Blaze, you want to switch jobs?" Chopper asked.

"Sure, be careful though. The ACVs are small."

"Understatement of the year Blaze!"

"I'm on orders from our air defense commander. We have to comply," one of the space center staff said.

"It's all over if the tanks break through. Blaze, do you think our forces are sufficient?" Nagase inquired.

"I think so."

"I'd like to think so, too, but they even had to call us out, you know?" Nagase had a point unfortunately. If this base's forces had been sufficient enough, they wouldn't have had to call us out.

Trying not to think about that, I turned around to see where everyone was. I saw Chopper fire a missile and hit a target. Grimm was trailing an enemy fighter, and Nagase was after one of the fighters as well. I had just shot down one of the bandits, as we called the enemy planes. There were two names for an enemy that I counted so far: bandit and bogey.

I looked down at the mass driver. It being huge is a bit of an understatement. I think it's more like ginormous or humongous. I mean, it is seven and a half miles long so I mean, yeah, it's _kind of_ big.

"This is the Northeast Sector Defense Force. The enemy has broken through Pillbox one."

"Grimm, check your six," I told him frantically.

"WHOA! Where'd he come from?!" Grimm exclaimed.

"Watch out! He's firing!" I shouted.

"Someone get him off me!" he requested in exasperation. He was weaving from side to side to get the bandit off his tail. It wouldn't leave him though. Chopper and I almost ran into each other trying to cover Grimm. I let Chopper have him. I went off to help Nagase, who had also gotten a bandit on her tail.

I got behind the bandit and after much swerving, a few words I never thought would come out of my mouth, I shot the bandit down.

"Bandit's off your tail Grimm," Chopper announced. I said likewise to Nagase.

"Thanks Blaze," Nagase said.

"Thanks Chopper," Grimm said. Both of them sounded relieved. A little over a minute went by.

"Target hit," Grimm announced.

"You already shot one down? Impressive Grimm," I complimented.

"Thank you."

"The ground forces have their hands full with the ACV's. We're on our own with the planes because they don't have any backup for us," I notified my team solemnly.

"Isn't that always the case?" Chopper muttered.

"Yep, always. Hell, I've only been on what? Two full missions with you guys? And even I know you rarely have people to back you up," Grimm said.

"I swear one of these days, not having back up is going to take its toll," I claimed.

"Blaze, I can't help but agree with you there," Chopper said.

Okay, yeah, that was kind of a dreary thing to say but it was the truth. Osea had plenty of fighter pilots. Why couldn't they spare at least four planes to come back us up? We were only four planes! And we weren't even aces! Okay, yeah, Chopper and Nagase and Grimm kept saying I was going to be an ace one day but I didn't believe it. I had seen the aces of the Osean Air Force and there was no way I could beat them. I'm off subject. My point is: how can four planes make a difference?

"I'll try one more time to convince the higher-ups to launch," A soldier claimed. "We're getting requests from every team to restart the launch!"

"Throw the Molotov cocktails!" Another one shouted.

"I could use a cocktail right about now," Chopper declared. I giggled.

"Damn, I can't believe they're doing an air drop," An Osean grumbled. "We have to defend this base by ourselves?"

"Do the ground forces have any anti-tank units? Are they gonna be okay?" Grimm questioned anxiously.

"I dunno, but either way we can't let those things reach the ground," Chopper told him.

"Ya think?" Grimm retorted.

I flew underneath the mass driver and fired missiles at another ACV. The water below the mass driver was a deep royal blue with turquoise streaks in random places. I couldn't help but think about how much I wanted to go swimming. Swimming had been one of my favorite things to do as a child. My parents would call me a fish and looking back at how many hours I spent in the water and how stubborn I was about staying in the water, I could see why they nicknamed me that.

The lush green hills that rolled behind McNealy Air Force Base welcomed me to come play in them. Running in the woods had also been a childhood past time. My brother and I, when we would go to our grandparent's house, we would chase each other through the trees and pretend we were demigods from the Percy Jackson series. He would be Apollo because he liked the day better and I was Artemis because I liked the night better of the two. I could usually beat him at any game we played except for wrestling. Then I got my butt whooped.

"They're firing! The center is under attack!" A soldier yelled.

"Number 12's parachute was shot away! It's in free fall!" A Yuke cried. "We need some help here! How much longer are you gonna let 'em play target practice with us?! This isn't funny! These tanks are gonna turn into our coffins soon."

This was a tough battle because it was both air and ground. Two of us were taking care of the ground enemies while two of us took care of the air enemies. I was glad to have Nagase, Grimm, and Chopper as my wingmen. If it wasn't for them, I'd be long gone by now. I know they would beg to differ with me but hey, even though they don't want to admit it, they know it's true. They're just very stubborn, and sometimes they're too stubborn. Although I'm one to talk seeing as how stubborn I can be.

"Yahoo!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Having fun Chopper?" I asked drolly.

"Loads!"

"Chopper, I'm going to get you a dictionary so you can read the definition of fun," Nagase said.

"Nagase, I'm going to give you the dictionary so you can find the definition of sarcasm," Chopper countered.

"Now descending. All systems go," A Yuke said.

"The tanks are mobilizing away from their landing points," Grimm pointed out. They're all scattering in droves the moment they touch the ground."

"Be careful. Avoid firing on your allies," An Osean admonished. No kidding. This guy was a real Sherlock, wasn't he? Geez… did they have no faith in us?

"Get distracted and I'll slam right into one of 'em. Man, this is bad for my health," Chopper grumbled.

"This is bad for the health of all of us," Grimm corrected.

"Dammit, we're caught in a crossfire. They're firing at us below, too," A Yuke said. "We do have parachutes for our tank crews, right?"

"We can't shoot them all down. We can only thin out their numbers," Grimm claimed.

"Some of the tanks seem to have taken damage when they hit the ground," Nagase observed.

"Then aim for them first. By the way, didn't you already say that?" I queried curiously.

"Come to think of it, yeah, I did," she mused.

"Has the war already gotten to you Nagase?" I teased.

"No, I'm just being blonde."

"You're not blonde at all, Nagase," Grimm pointed out.

"She's blonde at heart Grimm. I'm blonde literally and figuratively!" Chopper joked. Actually, I don't think he was joking at all…

"Me too!" I added with a laugh. "I can't believe we're having this conversation in the middle of a battle though. I love my friends!"

"We would go crazy just having serious discussions in the air. Sometimes the time arises to have a conversation that has absolutely nothing to do with the current situation at all," Chopper stated.

"I realize we do fly better when we're having nonsense conversations… like this one!" Grimm agreed.

"I hate to be the one to ruin this lovely conversation, but I have an enemy on my tail and I need one of you blondes to come get him off of me," Nagase requested.

"Roger, I'm on my way," Grimm answered.

I did a 180 degree turn and headed for yet another ACV. I could see Grimm trailing the plane that was trailing Nagase.

It was a fast little devil and it took Grimm a few quick maneuvers and a few, uh, "different" words, he shot the plane down.

We had to be nearing the end of this mission. I mean, how many tanks could they put in those transport planes? It couldn't be that many!

"We can handle this. Rest of you, get out of here now!" A Space Center member barked.

"That missile's coming this way!" A Yuke yelped. "Damn, this pilot won't let up on me. Someone get him off me."

"It's a she FYI," I retorted. When the pilot was silent, I added, "Why does everyone think I'm a boy at first? I mean, seriously, why?"

"Because guys don't believe girls can fly better than them," Chopper explained.

"Big ego's, huh? Kind of like yours?"

"Ha-ha, you're so funny," Chopper said. There was no sarcasm in that saying… not much at least… Pfft! Who am I kidding? He injected every bit of sarcasm into that as he could!

"Whoa! Where'd these guys come from?!" I said in shock. Two Yuke fighters came out of nowhere and got behind me. Abandoning my target, I went straight up and did a loop. For some odd reason, I started singing to myself the _Danger Zone _song from Top Gun. Don't know why.

"Blaze? Why are you singing "Danger Zone?" Chopper questioned, sounding utterly amused and curious at the same time.

"Um, was I singing that out loud?"

"Kinda sorta. Or else I don't think Chopper would've said anything if you hadn't been," Nagase pointed out. I stayed silent, not able to come up with a good comeback.

Anyway, Grimm had gotten behind the pilots to help me out. Then something strange happened. One of the enemy pilots chasing me fell back and started chasing Grimm. Coming out to help Grimm, Nagase got behind the enemy chasing Grimm. I couldn't believe my eyes when an enemy plane got behind Nagase. So then Chopper came out to help Nagase. I turned around to look back at me. It looked like a conga line of planes. Probably looked pretty funny to the guys down below…

"How are we going to get away from these guys?" Nagase demanded.

"On the count of three, I go up, Grimm, you go right, Nagase you go Left, and Chopper, keep following the planes," I ordered. "One...two...three, BREAK!"

On cue, we all broke off the conga line as I called it. Chopper fired missiles at one of the planes in front of him and it went down in flames.

"Whew! Can imagine what the guys below are thinking?" I laughed.

"Probably thinking 'what the hell'?" Chopper suggested.

"I bet they thought we were listening to Gloria Estefan," Grimm said.

"Who?" How could Nagase not know who Gloria Estefan was? Or at least the she sang the song Grimm was talking about?

"Gloria Estefan? Sings "Come on everybody do the conga." Is it ringing a bell, Nagase?" Grimm prodded.

"… Nope."

"God, I have to have you listen to that song."

"Too bad we don't get radio on here," I said.

"Or a phone," Chopper added.

"Or snack or two."

"Or a drink holder," Grimm piped up.

"Or a pillow," Nagase chirped.

"Or a TV!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Or a book!" I said excitedly.

"A book? Of everything we could have in a plane, you choose a book?" Chopper asked.

"What? I like to read in case you haven't noticed."

"Trust me, we've noticed," Nagase said.

"Shut up, Nagase," I retorted. "Grimm, shoot that last ACV."

"C'mon baby, don't hit us. Just let us land safely," A Yuke prayed.

Grimm flew down low to the ground, so that it looked like he was skimming it. He used his guns to blow up the last ACV just as it reached the ground.

I really did feel bad for the Yukes. Being in ACV's practically gave you a death wish if you had planes around you because to planes, you were target practice. A very easy target… until you reached the ground. Then you're a nuisance to us.

"I hate having to shoot at you after you've finally touched ground and all, but… sorry," Chopper apologized sheepishly.

**MISSION UPDATE**

"All Yuktobanian ACVs destroyed. Our thanks to all allied aircraft," An Osean G praised.

"No way were we going to let them take over this base," I declared.

"That should be most of 'em," Chopper said.

"It looks like they've abandoned the ground invasion and decided to just destroy the base," Air Defense Command announced grimly. "Wipe out the remaining enemy forces. Make an effort to minimize any damage to the mass driver. Large numbers of cruise missiles tracked on the outer Edge of our radar coverage. All fighters, engage and destroy these cruise missiles."

"Captain, can you detect the cruise missiles from there?" Grimm questioned.

"Yeah, they're showing up on my radar. I think they should only take one missile or a little gun fire to destroy."

"I've picked them up as well. They're heading for the facility! Look at all those missiles."

I couldn't believe the enemy was going to destroy the base with cruise missiles. They could do a lot of damage. The mass driver was pretty well built (it had to be seeing how big it was) but if it was hit with enough missiles, it would be destroyed and this mission would fail. I realized I was thinking too much. I did that a lot.

"Hey Blaze, there's an enemy bomber plane flying away. You want me to destroy it?" Chopper asked.

"Yeah, go ahead, probably where those cruise missiles are coming from, so there must be more than one."

Chopper, who had been following me, broke away and went to destroy the enemy bomber. I started looking at the direction the cruise missiles were coming from… four directions… four planes. We could each go in a different direction and shoot down the bomber.

"Confirmed kill on bomber. Those must be the aircraft behind the cruise missiles," Thunderhead mused.

"That's what I said!" I sighed in annoyance. "Listen, there's three left. Grimm, Nagase, go take the two in the hills while I get the last one over the ocean. Chopper, see if you can shoot down some of those planes."

"Roger. Be careful," Chopper cautioned.

"I will."

"Roger," Nagase said.

"Wilco," Grimm said.

"Wilco?" Chopper repeated.

"What?"

"Your terminology is weird," Chopper told him bluntly.

"Oh shut up Chopper," Grimm snapped.

"The SSTO's gonna get hit if this keeps up," Nagase claimed.

I was halfway across the ocean before I saw the bomber. It was a sleek black plane that I could already tell was going to be a pain to shoot down. I fired a missile and the bomber released a sparkly thing I guess you could say. My missile changed targets and hit the sparkler instead. I got in closer and used gunfire. It seemed like hours before the thing actually blew up.

I headed back towards the SSTO where they should've started to get ready to launch.

"This is Flight Director Adam Gittelman. Continue SSTO launch. Recommence launch sequence.

"Attention all personnel: We only have one chance to launch. Let's all do our jobs and see this through to the very end. That is all!" Another guy encouraged.

"Do they always talk this much?" I queried.

"I was assigned here before I came to Sand Island, and yes, they are very chatty," Grimm confirmed.

"And I thought Thunderhead was chatty. These guys could give him a run for his money!" Chopper joked.

"I heard that!" Thunderhead growled. Chopper laughed.

"Weather team, roger."

"Flight control team, roger."

"Guidance team, roger."

"I can't shoot them all down!" Grimm grumbled.

"You'll do fine. Stay calm and you won't miss," Nagase told him placidly.

"Missile trajectories detected. Moving to intercept," Grimm informed. "We're being pushed back, little by little."

"Stay calm Grimm," I said gently.

"The catapult camera just shut off. Was the SSTO hit?" A soldier demanded.

"The camera just malfunctioned!" Another guy explained.

"Four minutes to launch. Hold them off until then!" An Osean urged.

"Four minutes?! We won't last that long!" Someone shouted.

The mood was getting tenser by the moment. We were losing our allies on the ground to some of the Yukes that had survived the explosions from when we blew up the ACV's, and the enemy wasn't going to give up anytime soon.

"Blaze, do you know why the Arkbird was built?" Nagase questioned.

"Yes, it was a peace project between Yuktobania and Osea. Now it's going to be used for our counterattack."

"Ironic, isn't it?"

"Utterly and completely," I agreed.

"Take the wounded to Warehouse four!" A soldier barked. "Flight control, your job is done. Evacuate the area immediately."

"We can't have any mistakes here! We're staying!"

"My plane can't keep up with them!" Grimm shouted.

"Keep up with what? The missiles? The planes?" Chopper asked.

"Both!"

"Grimm, calm down," Nagase told him.

"Fire in H Block!" A space center member informed frantically.

"Kid, is the launch facility safe? I can't tell from here," Chopper said.

"I think it is. I can't tell."

"Ah, good… I think. I'll continue the operation."

"The number of incoming cruise missiles is decreasing," Air Defense Command announced.

"Three minutes! Three minutes to go!" A soldier yelled ecstatically.

Thanks to Nagase and Grimm destroying the last two enemy bombers, the number of incoming cruise missiles was smaller than before, therefore being quicker to get to destroy.

"Communications, I want you to ensure all comm lines stay open," The same guy said.

"We've got it covered, sir. Three modes of communication: Wired, wireless and runners!"

"I wonder-" I began.

"Just a little more… just two more minutes!" A guy interrupted me.

I tried to begin again. "So, before-"

"We'll be safe here! Calm down!"

Now I was getting aggravated. "As I was-"

"Final preflight check. All stations go over everything one last time."

Seriously… "Can I-"

"Guidance, navigation, flight control, telemetry, communications, flight dynamics… Do we have a go or no go?"

This was getting ridiculous. "Hey! I want to-"

"All systems go from all team leaders. Proceeding with launch."

I was now pissed off. "Can you peo-"

"Guidance team reporting! Our launch window will close in a few minutes!"

"What the-" I began.

"Have faith in our fighter pilots. Don't rush your final checks!"

Good lord! Did they ever stop talking?! Every time I tried to say something, they cut me off! Jerks! I tried seven times, _seven times_, to talk and every single freaking time, they cut me off! I hate that! These guys were chatty Cathy's and not in a good way!

"All enemy bombers destroyed Kid," Chopper announced. You could always tell it was Chopper talking if he said 'Kid.' He was the only one that called me that.

"Good, now maybe those cruise missiles will stop coming… oh my god! They let me talk!"

"They were pretty rude about that," Nagase agreed.

"One minute left. Have a safe trip!" A guy exclaimed. At least he didn't interrupt me…

"Damn it! Is this it for us?!" Another guy demanded.

"The Air Force'll get us through this! I know they will! So don't give up!"

"C'mon, have they launched yet?!" Chopper groaned.

"No, not yet, at least I don't think so. It shouldn't be long now. Of course, we probably wouldn't know because-" I started.

"They talk too much?" Grimm finished.

"Bingo," I said.

"If the tide of battle doesn't change soon, we're in deep trouble," A Yuke stated.

"Countdown… Twenty, nineteen, eighteen, seventeen, sixteen... Air Defense Command: Enemy planes approaching! Take cover!" A soldier yelled before adding, "We're gonna launch this thing if it kills us!"

"Right, just hurry up! We can't hold out much longer," Grimm urged.

A few seconds went by. I was wondering whether this mission would succeed or not. If they took any longer, the mission would fail. No pressure right?

"Five, four, three, two, one, zero! Lift-off!" The soldier cried.

The SSTO took off with a big bang! It was going amazingly fast already.

"SSTO increasing speed!"

The SSTO passed a blue marker.

"SSTO passing Check Point One!"

The SSTO passed a second blue marker.

"Passing Check Point Two!"

The SSTO passed a third blue marker.

"Passing Check Point Three!"

Flying above the mass driver, I could see the SSTO moving like lightning. It would soon be in the air going towards the Arkbird. The white bird was in place, ready to receive the laser cannon. Then our mission would be over, and we could head on home to Sand Island. It sounded like heaven compared to right now.

The SSTO then rocketed up the mass driver and into the clear blue sky up above us. It was a beautiful sight.

**MISSION ACCOMPLISHED**

"SSTO status report!" The soldier requested.

"Everything's clear. All systems are go."

"Yeah, I'm seeing it now. It's a beautiful sight. This is great!"

"Observation room reporting. The SSTO is climbing smoothly. Congratulations."

* * *

**Nagase**

The white bird rose up once again, laser cannon in its wings. It was a moving sight. In my heart, though, I wished it didn't have to be used in war.

* * *

**Genette**

None of them found out why the enemy targeted the base until much later. Of course, by that time, it was too late…

* * *

**Blaze**

The briefing was quick when we landed thankfully. I was pooped. "We prevented the Yuktobanian army from capturing the launch facility. The SSTO launch was successful. The SSTO docked with the Arkbird, which has descended into the upper atmosphere and successfully transferred a laser weapon module over to the craft. All the aircraft with the 108th Tactical Fighter Squadron and Sand Island detachment return to base as soon as rearming and refueling operations are complete."

The four of us were like flipping zombies as we walked to our rooms. Since my room came before Chopper's, he kissed me briefly goodnight before heading to his room. Nagase grinned at me and I rolled my eyes at her, which only made her chuckle. I entered my room and was barely able to get my pajamas on and brush my teeth before I crashed out on my bed.

* * *

**So, hope y'all liked it. I still have more chapters to edit and more chapters to update so although this story is nearing an end, I still have to edit it sooo… REVIEW!**


	8. Frontline

**(July 2, 2011 update: Okay, why I'm just putting this chapter up, I'm not sure but thank you ben revell for pointing out that I didn't have this chapter up. I feel soooo blonde right now and after I reread this chapter and do my chores, I am going to crack down on getting the next chapter up to try and help make up for that major blonde moment and I don't see how I forgot to post this chapter because this is one of my favorite missions! *Sigh* Well, before I bore you with anymore of my rambling, here's the forgotten chapter no longer forgotten!)**

**(September 24, 2012 Update: I just changed the form from script to dialogue form)**

* * *

Chapter 8:Frontline

**Blaze**

All right, so, that last mission? Remind me to kick the commander's ass if he _ever_ makes us go on a mission like that again with ACVs dropping all over the place and scattering like annoying little spiders. In case you didn't know, I freaking hate spiders! I'm a magnet for spiders, no joke. They will come and find me I swear to god they are out to destroy me. They just love to crawl _on my bed _when I'm trying to go to sleep. Then I scream and call Chopper to come kill them… of course, I've stopped doing that because he captures them in a glass and sets them free. I keep telling him they crawl back into my room to carry out their plan of destruction against me but he doesn't listen. Oh well, I'll teach him to kill a spider one day…

I sat down next to Chopper with Nagase and Genette on my other side and Cassie and Grimm on the other side of Chopper. The Base Commander (more like commander of donuts… I didn't say that! Shh!) walked in and we all focused our attention to the big screen.

"You people are like the plague, you know that?" the Base Commander barked (nice to see you too Biscuit Commader… I didn't say that either…). "The moment you return to Sand Island, this happens."

In case you didn't know what the Base Commander was talking about because he was pretty vague, he means that Yuktobania, once again, is attacking us. Why can't Yuktobania just give us a break?

The briefer systematically cleared his throat, his sign that he was about to start speaking. "A large combined force of Yuktobanian vessels and aircraft has been detected advancing in the ocean directly toward Sand Island form the west. Our intelligence has confirmed the presence of amphibious assault ships within the oncoming fleet. We believe the enemy's goal is to conduct a landing operation on Sand Island and capture this base. Close with the enemy, disrupt landing operations and suppress their naval gunfire directed at our forces ashore."

Operation: Vanguard

Location: Sand Island

Date: 2010/10/04

Time: 0830 HRS.

"Even if this turns into a ground war, I am prepared to fight for this island to the bitter end," The Base Commander announced. "As my advanced guard, I want you to forget everything else and concentrate on dealing a lethal blow to the incoming enemy invasion fleet. We'll be deploying everything we've got. Launch every aircraft capable of anti-ship combat, regardless of combat experience."

Woah, woah, woah! He's launching every aircraft available?! Does he mean the nuggets too?! They're not ready to fight yet! They're way too inexperienced! That _stupid _Base Commander! I always knew he had some… okay, a _lot_ of screws loose but I didn't think he was stupid enough to let rookies fly in such an important battle.

Everyone got up and me and the gang (as we call ourselves, "the gang" because we're like, inseparable and being called "the gang" reminds me of Scooby-Doo. Sorry, that was kind of random). I walked ahead of the gang, completely engrossed in my thoughts (which included calling the Base Commander some not so nice of names…).

"Blaze?" Chopper nudged me. I hadn't even realized he walked up next to me.

"Hmm?" I asked, looking up at him.

"You okay?"

"I'm just mad," I replied quietly.

"Why?"

"The nuggets are too damn inexperienced to be fighting in an actual battle right now," I whispered.

"I couldn't agree with you more," Chopper replied.

"Come on, let's go to the planes before I turn back around and go yell at the commander," I muttered. Chopper laughed and put his arm around me. I leaned into him, glad to have him next to me.

* * *

**Nagase**

Walking to the hangar, we stood waiting for Blaze to assign our planes. She seemed pretty pissed off about something. I wondered if it had anything to do with her not feeling well. She had told me earlier that she had a migraine and that it had been going on for an hour. I had tried to convince her to go to the infirmary, but Blaze being Blaze was too stubborn to go, insisting it would be fine in a while.

Blaze chose an F-14B for all of us because its special weapons were made for ground targets and that's mainly what our targets consisted of.

We got in our planes and Blaze led us to the runway. She took off first, then Chopper, then me, then Grimm. We immediately got into formation and headed towards the oncoming enemy invasion fleet, which, by the way, was huge.

"This is AWACS Thunderhead. All units, listen carefully."

"Ahh," Chopper sighed. "I missed that sweet voice. Say, you get that from your mama's side of the family?"

I heard a failed attempt to not laugh from Blaze. I had to admit I wanted to laugh too. Grimm was chuckling over the radio. Chopper really loved to shoot his mouth off… well, actually, I think he can't help it and I think he doesn't even know he's shooting his mouth off.

"Cut the chatter. First enemy wave, bearing 280 degrees. You are cleared to engage on sight," Thunderhead said. He sounded annoyed and I could just see him rolling his eyes at Chopper. If I was Thunderhead and Chopper had said that to me, I know I'd be rolling my eyes.

"It's too risky to bring the nuggets here," I commented.

"I'm with you on that," Chopper agreed. "You agree, Kid?"

"Yes, they're having trouble just keeping their planes in the air."

Blaze had already shot off when the first enemy ship came into view. Chopper followed her while Grimm and I stayed back with the nuggets and to prevent any enemy attack helicopters from reaching the mainland because that would be very, very bad to put it nicely.

"If we make it back alive, there's something I want to ask you, if that's all right," A rookie asked Blaze bashfully.

"Of course," Blaze replied kindly.

"Thanks. It's just something I have to know… Do you ever get scared, Captain?"

Blaze paused for a brief moment. "… Yes, I do."

"I see. So you're just like us."

"Yes, I'm just like you, just with a higher position, that's all."

"And more experience, don't forget that!" Chopper told her.

She laughed and said, "If you say so Chopper."

The enemy had at least twenty or more ships plus all their air support. This was going to be tough. Blaze had already found another target. It was one of the larger ships… a destroyer I think… after a second glance, I realized it was a destroyer. Sheesh! Why wouldn't Yuktobania just give us a break with all these attacks? I mean, at least we had _some_ type of warning about this one unlike the mission when Grimm joined the squadron and the attack was completely uncalled for, but still!

"This is Sand Island Base Defense! Enemy amphibious force intercepted at the coastline!"

"Oh, great. Here we go," Chopper grumbled.

"Crap…" Blaze muttered. "Grimm, Nagase, take on the ships and planes closing on the shore. Chopper and I will take on the larger ships. Chopper, take the right side, I'll take the left and destroy them in order. The closest to the shore, fire on first."

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Chopper shouted.

"Roger," Grimm and I said.

"Chopper, I'm a pilot, not a pirate like Jack Sparrow," Blaze pointed out.

:They both start with 'pi' so what's the difference?" he countered.

"Well, first, I fly planes and he sails ships. Second, I fight for my country and he fights against countries, and third, Jack drinks and I don't."

"Okay, okay, you win Blaze!" He chuckled. "You made your point… although I still don't see the difference.

I snorted. "Of course you don't Chopper."

"When did you enter this conversation Nagase?" he queried.

"Just now."

"Well, aren't Jack and Blaze kind of alike?" he demanded.

Bluntly, I replied, "Um, no."

"Think about it! They're both captains, they both can kick ass, they both fight evil… Jack does in a way… and they are both totally awesome!"

"Chopper, you've lost it," I declared.

"Amen to that one Nagase," Blaze agreed.

"Oh shut it you two…" He snapped airily.

How did Jack Sparrow enter that conversation?

Anyways, Blaze and I were laughing mischievously over the mic and I'm pretty sure we were scaring Chopper and Grimm. Blaze and I had a knack for doing that I've noticed.

Seeing Grimm come behind me, we headed closer towards Sand Island. Blaze and Chopper had split up and had started aiming for the ships closest to Sand Island. And of course they couldn't be ships easy to destroy, oh no. They had to be the top of the line destroyers and aircraft carriers. Lovely…

"Enemy ships are firing towards Sand Island. Stop them," Thunderhead ordered. "Enemy assault ships are launching attack helicopters. Shoot them down before they reach Sand Island.

"Our island's the closest thing to the enemy. I guess it makes sense we got attacked first," Chopper mused.

"Unfortunately for us," Grimm noted.

"I don't think they were expecting such a fight from us," I said.

"I think they're insane and off their rocker," Blaze claimed.

"I couldn't agree more. Man! I have a brilliant girlfriend!"

"And I have a wonderful boyfriend who has completely lost it!"

"That's just mean…"

"Don't take it personally Chopper, she's in a bad mood…" I told him. Yeah, Blaze was in a really bad mood in case you couldn't tell. None of us knew why but my three guesses are: one, that she's female and we tend to have nasty mood swings, two, she hasn't been feeling well, and three, she's mad.

Getting behind one of the enemy planes and making sure I had a good missile lock, I fired. It hit it in the right engine. It fell helplessly towards the ocean. One down, a thousand more to go. Okay not really, more like forty but, hey, when it's like ten to forty and only four of the ten have actual fighting experience, it might as well be one thousand.

"Should I even ask why?" Chopper asked.

"No," Blaze answered frankly.

"I think you should listen to her Chopper," Grimm suggested.

"Nooo, you don't say Grimm? And where have you been in our conversations? You've been unusually quiet… what did you do?!" Chopper demanded suddenly.

"I didn't do anything! And I haven't been able to say anything because you're always saying something," Grimm retorted.

"God! _Everyone_ is ganging up on me today! Sheesh! I'm just going to shut up!"

I heard Blaze crack up at that and Grimm and I joined in. Chopper mumbled to himself about how all of us were on crack or something, which made us laugh harder. I knew the nuggets were listening in on this conversation and I wondered if they agreed with Chopper… or maybe they agreed with him and thought that he was on crack too…

"I bagged one. So did Nagase," Grimm informed.

Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. I had been chasing this fighter jet that seemed quite intent on shooting Grimm down. It was rather annoying to tell you the truth. And after going up and down, right and left and into a loop, I finally got a missile lock on him. I fired and did the missile hit it? No! Of course not! Fortunately, when he leveled out, I fired another missile at him and hit him.

My mind started wandering to the people on Sand Island. There were some amphibious forces along the coastline that had been ahead of the fleet we were engaging and we had been ordered to destroy the fleet behind them, not the one at the coastline which made no sense to me. You'd think they would have us engage the force closest to the coastline but no, they have to make no damn sense, as usual. I just hoped Genette was okay. He's one of my best friends and he's Blaze's brother and I know Blaze would be devastated if something happened to him. We all would. Okay, moving on to a cheerier subject… but what's a cheery subject when you're at war?

"Damn, this ain't looking good," Chopper muttered.

"No kidding…" Blaze grumbled in agreement.

"The coastline is under heavy enemy attack!" An Osean on Sand Island exclaimed.

Crap…

"Please let Genette be okay!" I thought frantically. Yes, I did care for Genette but just because he's my best friend, _nothing more_… I think…

"I know, I know! All units, this is Colonel Perrault at Base Command. Do everything in your power to stop them." As if we weren't doing that already. "If you can't protect this island, what'll we tell our great heroes in the sky?!"

"'Great heroes?' What's with him? He's like a completely different man," Grimm observed.

"Don't expect that stuff when we get back. I bet he's got a different script for us," Chopper said.

"Yeah, he's never nice to us," Blaze added.

"I can't help but wonder why…" I pondered aloud.

"What have we ever done to him?" Blaze insisted.

"I don't know. We always do what he says and we always come back alive," Chopper said.

"Maybe that's what we're doing wrong. Maybe we're coming back alive," Grimm offered.

"Nah, the paperwork for our death would be more work than keeping us alive," Blaze said.

"Hey, he didn't like Bartlett and we're his nuggets so…" Nagase trailed off.

"That actually makes sense," Blaze said thoughtfully.

"Can we talk about something cheerful?" Chopper questioned hopefully.

"Like what?" Grimm prodded.

Chopper paused before, "… Jackie Chan!"

"No, Chopper, no," Blaze

"Awwww…" he and Grimm complained simultaneously.

"Enemy assault ships are launching hovercraft," Thunderhead informed.

"I hate those things. They move too fast, but they are easy to blow up," Blaze said. She had already blown up about four ships, same with Chopper. Grimm took on the enemy ships close to Sand Island which were all missile boats while I took on the enemies in the air. I had already shot down about three planes. Grimm had probably sunk about five missile boats. They were easy to destroy… usually. As long as you got a good missile lock on it, then you were good.

Now, quick question: how did we bring Jackie Chan into the conversation? Wait, don't answer that. If any mention of a famous person is brought into the conversation, it's usually by Chopper.

"Finally, a real battle! I'm getting nervous," a rookie exclaimed.

"I am too," another one agreed.

"Beamer, your plane's wavering," Yet another rookie observed.

I had to stop myself from laughing because the name 'Beamer' just sounded so rude and I have no clue why. I think I heard a giggle escape from Blaze though.

"Hey, nuggets. Try to keep sight of your flight lead and don't screw it up, all right?" Chopper admonished.

"Yes, sir."

"Heh, he just called me 'sir,'" Chopper noted.

"You have a higher position than him Chopper. He's supposed to call you that," Blaze pointed out.

"I know; I'm not used to it."

"This is Khraby. Commencing support fire," A Yuke barked.

"I think it should be 'crabby,'" Blaze mumbled. I cracked up along with Chopper and Grimm at that because I had to agree with her. The enemy guy did sound pretty pissed off about something. He was probably mad that we were kicking their butts. I just hope they don't have that blasted submarine. What's it called again? Screamfaxi? Stinkfaxi? Stupidfaxi? Scinfaxi! Ha! I knew I would get sooner or later!

"That was brilliant Blaze!" Chopper praised.

"Thank you, Chopper."

"Engaging amphibious force!" A Sand Island soldier shouted.

"Airborne attack squadron, don't worry about us. We will stand firm and fight to the end!" Perrault declared.

"What a tearjerker," Grimm joked.

"I'm worried about him. He's acting nice. Think there's something wrong with him?" Blaze asked in mock worry.

"Man, if he needs our help, he should just say so. Of course, not that we have the time to help right now," Chopper commented.

"That's a bit of an understatement," I said.

"Just a tad," Blaze agreed.

"'Tad', Blaze?" Grimm queried drolly.

"What's wrong with the word 'tad'?" she demanded.

"Nothing, nothing, just… 'tad'?"

"Yes Grimm, 'tad', I thought we established that. Now stop giving my girlfriend a hard time… even though I agree it's a strange word."

"Chopper, who are you siding with?" Blaze sighed.

"I'm siding with you."

"Suuure you are…" She said dubiously.

"I am!" he protested indignantly.

"Chopper, let it go. She's in a bad mood," I told him firmly.

"No kidding…" He muttered.

Ah, poor Chopper. Blaze was in a seriously bad mood. I think it was a mix of her being mad at the base commander, her not feeling well, her being tired, and her just being a girl. Okay, guys, here's a tip: when girls have a lot on their mind, they tend to get stressed, which makes them touchy and you can do two things, one- ask them what's wrong and/or two- stay the hell out of their way.

The bad thing for Chopper is that with Blaze, you never know what you're supposed to do.

"Enemy ground forces opening fire!" A Yuke yelled.

"Has the enemy reached the Island yet?" I inquired.

"I don't think so," Grimm answered.

"Calm down. Keep a cool head," A rookie said, speaking to himself.

"Good job rookies, keep it up. Everyone, be careful with the destroyers, they have SAMs on them," Blaze cautioned.

"Thanks for alerting us," I said.

"I really don't want to lose any of you," she replied.

"Good to hear!" Chopper laughed.

"Amazing… So this is what a real battle's like," A rookie mused.

I tailed an enemy aircraft trailing a rookie when an alarm in my plane went off. Crap! A missile was fired from an enemy sub!

"Missile fired from enemy sub!" I shouted frantically.

"What?!" Blaze and Grimm demanded at the same time.

"From where?!" Blaze asked.

I couldn't figure out why they (meaning our sub) didn't pick the enemy sub up on their radar. They should know where it is by now.

"Get out of there, Grimm! You nuggets, too!" I commanded.

"Climb! Climb! C'mon!" Chopper barked.

"Ship destroyed!" Blaze chirped.

"Blaze! Get above five-thousand feet!" Chopper ordered.

"I know, I'm coming."

"You hear me, nuggets? You have to climb!" I said firmly.

"Pull up, everyone! Get your altitude above five-thousand feet!" Chopper added.

"Get up now!" Blaze instructed.

I could see all our allied planes shooting up towards the sky; I was one of them. I hate ballistic missiles. I bet you anything it's that blasted Scinfaxi. How the hell could we fight against that? As long as the enemy had that… _thing_, we had no chance!

"Submarine missile launch confirmed! Believed to be a burst missile, with multiple warheads that separate in mid-air," Thunderhead informed. "Get above five-thousand feet and stand by!"

Blaze was dangerously low. If she went down even a little, she would be below five-thousand feet and would be blown up. Chopper went down behind her and so did Grimm and I. If she went, we went with her, no matter what.

"Wait. We're getting a command override from somewhere," Thunderhead said. "'Data link to A-Sat Targeting System…' What is this? Now it's counting down by itself. Nine, eight, seven..."

"Damn it! They're not gonna make it!" Chopper growled.

"Damn it!" Blaze exclaimed. "Nuggets, listen to me! Slam on that accelerator and _MOVE IT_!"

Blaze wasn't furious at them, she was scared for them. The nuggets weren't moving nearly fast enough upwards. It would take a miracle now to save them.

Thunderhead finished counting down. "Four, three, two, one..."

A beam of light came from the sky. Blaze had to hurry and swerve to miss it. It was a laser fired from way up in the sky. I couldn't even see where the laser had come from. Maybe it came from space. Wait, if it came from space, then maybe it's the Arkbird?

"The sky just lit up!" Grimm claimed.

"No, really, Grimm?" Chopper said sarcastically.

"Oh shut up Chopper," Grimm snapped.

"I tried that and crashed and burned."

"Yeah, we know," Blaze bantered.

"I… never mind…"

"Smart move Chopper," I complimented.

"Missile vaporized in mid-air!" Thunderhead cheered.

"What was that? Did you see that, Kid?"

"Yeah, I nearly went right through it!"

"A beam of light fell from the sky," Chopper explained.

"I don't think that was a light," Blaze mused.

"What do you think it was?" He queried.

"A laser."

"Maybe they're aliens come to abduct us!" Chopper suggested.

"Oh my god Chopper…" She mumbled. Blaze, Grimm, and I were cracking up. Leave it to Chopper to make something so serious into something so funny. How does that guy do it?

Then something hit me. "…Was that the Arkbird?!"

"Missile destroyed by a laser beam fired from orbit altitude. It's the Arkbird. We've got the Arkbird!" Thunderhead notified. "All units, continue engaging the enemy!"

We had gotten our miracle. The beautiful white bird had saved the nuggets from a most terrible death. Maybe our luck was changing. Before, Yuktobania was always the one with the surprise. Now we had the element of surprise. Could our luck possibly be changing?

I had probably destroyed ten targets, Blaze twelve, Chopper eleven, and Grimm ten. We weren't anywhere near finished though. Yeah, that seems like a lot, but that was just a fraction of all the enemy forces that we had to destroy. I wondered how the people on base were fairing. We hadn't heard a lot from them after the Base Commander was being a tear jerker and sounded like he had been abducted by aliens and given a different mindset… crap, Chopper's rubbing off on me with all these wacked out thoughts I'm having.

That's when the Yukes' messages started blowing up over the mic. "The missiles all disappeared! What's going on?!"

"What was that! What happened?!" Another Yuke shouted.

"This is the anti-sub patrol plane Blue Hound. Submarine detected by sonobuoy. Sound Pattern analysis produces a match with the Scinfaxi."

I _told_ you it would be the Scinfaxi! Sheesh! This sucks…

"Captain, do you think the Arkbird can really avoid hitting us?" Grimm asked.

"Yeah, I do."

"Yes, it does seem to be highly accurate," Grimm acknowledged.

"I think it's more like deadly accurate," she corrected.

"What a nightmare. Who are they aiming for?" A Yuke inquired.

"We aimin' for yoo, yoo wee lee'le buggers!" Chopper said.

"Chopper, why are you speaking in a Scottish accent?" I asked.

"Did I do a good job?"

"Yes you did, and you know what, don't answer my question. I don't want to know…"

Okay, why the hell was Chopper speaking in a Scottish accent? He surprisingly did a pretty accurate job but still, where did that urge come from? Then again, this is Chopper, and Chopper would take on a Mack truck if the urge took him, and while yes, I got that saying from a book, when I say it, it's actually true.

"Thunderhead, this is Blue Hound. Detecting sounds from Scinfaxi indicating imminent missile launch."

"Arkbird, we'll send the data over as soon as we detect the missile. We're counting on you," Thunderhead replied.

"Looks like the enemy's stopped playing nice," A Yuke growled.

"… Um, we weren't playing nice in the first place, just saying…" Blaze noted.  
"Missile away from enemy sub," the anti-sub plane informed.

"Of course…" Blaze mumbled.

"Locked on! Begin data link!" Thunderhead ordered.

"We're all within range of that thing!" A Yuke shouted. "If that laser even grazes us, we're finished!"

"Then y'all should let it graze you. It would make our job a hell of a lot easier!" Chopper suggested.

"Arkbird firing laser," Thunderhead told us.

"I've sunk three ships," Blaze said.

"Me too," Chopper said.

"I've shot down five aircraft," I chirped.

"Sunk most of the hovercraft," Grimm jumped in.

"Nice job Grimm. Those are fast little suckers," Blaze praised.

"I noticed…"

"Missile destroyed! We did it!" Thunderhead declared.

"Goodness gracious!" Blaze exclaimed.

"Great balls of fire!" Chopper hollered, starting to laugh.

"Ahhh! _Top Gun_! Chopper, you just made my day!" She laughed along with hi. Oh god, here they go again on _Top Gun_…

"My pleasure. Please though, don't lose that lovin' feeling."

"If I do, I'll let you know and then you'll have to sing _You've Lost that Lovin' Feeling_."

"I would do it in a heartbeat."

"Thanks Chopper."

Okay, good to know their love life is good. Why can't _I_ find a guy like Chopper for me? Why does my luck always kick me in the ass?

"What was that light?" A Yuke demanded. The enemy was confused right now, but I knew before a matter of time that they would soon figure out a way to launch burst missiles without them being destroyed by the Arkbird. "They shot that from outer space? This was what they launched that day?"

Blaze chuckled. "Yep. Come on, we couldn't let y'all have all the elements of surprise now could we?"

"I'm gonna make it! I'm gonna get out of this alive, I know it!" A rookie claimed.

"Don't panic. We haven't lost yet," Another Yuke encouraged.

"Oh, no! They're launching more missiles! Number three, number four, number five…" the anti-sub plane informed in horror.

"There's too many!" Grimm exclaimed.

"Crap…" Blaze murmured.

The enemy had found a way to launch the missile without it being blown up. Of course, one would be destroyed but the rest would be able to explode because the Arkbird's laser wasn't quick enough to reload and then there would be multiple bursts and it would be extremely gory. I hope none of the burst missiles went near the mainland because then it would all be over in one second.

"C'mon, Arkbird! Use your lasers! The nuggets are gonna get killed!" I encouraged anxiously.

"Climb, kids! Go, go, go!" Chopper urged.

"Come on, nuggets! Climb! Move it!" I shouted.

"You have got to climb nuggets! Fast!" Blaze ordered.

"Follow the flight leads!" A Rookie said. At least we had one smart

"Did that attack really come from a submarine?" Another rookie inquired in awe.

"Yes! Now stop dilly-dallying and move it!" Blaze snapped.

"Missile vaporized in mid-air!" Thunderhead announced triumphantly.

"They're coming! They're still coming!" Chopper shouted.

"Captain, clear my six," I requested.

"I'm coming!" She replied. Blaze came speeding towards me and started to trail the enemy after me but the plane bugged out on me and Blaze let it go. I wondered why… then I realized she and I were both three thousand feet high and the burst missile was about to explode… crap… She and I high-tailed it to five thousand feet and it was just in the nick of time.

"Ten seconds to impact. Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, impact… now!" Thunderhead said. My plane shook violently as multiple explosions went on beneath. The explosions caused small mushroom clouds which looked ominous themselves. The deafening sound didn't help.

"The eject handle's stuck!" A rookie cried.

"Damn, three rookies were just hit," Blaze notified grimly.

"Wings damaged! Losing altitude!" another rookie shouted.

"They're all falling," Grimm murmured in shocked horror.

"Damn it…" Chopper said quietly.

Why did the Base Commander let the rookies fight with us? They were nowhere _near_ ready to fight a battle like this! This was absurd! It was a suicide mission for them. It was dangerous for us but we had experience, this was suicide for them because they had no actual experience in battle.

"We can't deal with the enemy fleet like this," Thunderhead claimed.

"This is Sand Island Base Defense. Intense fighting along the coastline! We can't hold out much longer!"

"Does anyone have any word on Genette?!" Blaze demanded worriedly.

"Don't worry about him. Worry about the oncoming enemy invasion fleet," the guy responded. He had no idea how much he had just pissed off Blaze…

"Oh you did _not_ just say that," she said in a tone that dared them to challenge her. They were smart enough to not take the bait but they were still confused.

"Excuse me?" The Sand Island guy inquired in bewilderment.

"Genette is my brother so you better tell me where the hell he is and if he's safe or I'm disengaging, landing, and coming to find him myself!"

There was complete silence over the radio.

"Hi Blaze," Genette greeted, unnaturally cheerful.

"Genette! Are you okay?!" Blaze exclaimed.

"I'm fine, trust me. I was locked in the bomb shelter."

"Okay, well get back to the shelter."

"Okay, but are y'all okay?"

"We've had better days. We'll tell you when we get back to base."

"Okay, bye sis."

At least Genette was okay. I couldn't believe Blaze had told of Sand Island off. Although, I'm one to talk because if I had a brother and he was on base right now, I probably would've done the same exact thing.

"See? He's fine. Now continue to engage!" The Sand Island guy ordered in annoyance.

His tone didn't seem to faze Blaze one bit. "Thank you. How hard was it to tell me that he was in the bomb shelter?"

"Eh, the guys are lazy," Chopper said.

"Yeah, I know," Blaze admitted.

"We have no choice. Just weave through the missiles and continue attacking the ships!" Thunderhead commanded.

"Oh, yeah, just weave through the missiles? What are you, nuts?" Chopper retorted.

"I think he is," Grimm commented.

"He's been nuts for a while now though," Blaze added.

"Man, look, they're gaining the upper hand again," Chopper observed.

"We can't let them take over Sand Island," I claimed.

"Enemy sub launching burst missile. Brace for impact," The anti-sub plane announced. Turning around to find my next target, I saw Chopper sinking a destroyer, Grimm was trailing enemy planes with Blaze who was taking on both jobs. If she was chasing a plane and she came within range of firing at a ship, she'd change targets, fire, and then continue chasing the plane.

Once again, for what seemed to be the thousandth time, Blaze, Chopper, Grimm and I went up to about five thousand feet and cruised at a safe distance. How many ballistic missiles did they freaking have? That submarine had to be freaking huge!

"Ten seconds to impact. Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, impact… now!" Thunderhead said. The burst missile exploded and when all the shaking was done, we flew back down and engaged again.

"Man, I'd hate to be on the receiving end of that…" Chopper whistled.

"You said it," Blaze agreed wholeheartedly.

"Calculate the launch point of the burst missile while we still have time," I suggested before adding, "I'll slip amongst the bad guys and attack them while they're confused."

The anti-sub plane spoke over the mic. "Enemy sub launching burst missile. Brace for impact."

"Geez, how many missiles do they have loaded on that sub?" Blaze groaned.

"Your guess is as good mine," I said.

"Maybe it's like Hermione's bag in _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_. You know, how it was enchanted to hold more than it looked?" Chopper offered.

"Only you would think of that Chopper… why _do_ you remember that?" Blaze queried.

"I couldn't help but think how handy things like that would be," he replied.

"Come to think of it, girls need a purse like that…" Blaze mused.

"It would be helpful considering how much stuff girls shove into the purses," I pointed out.

"Like lip gloss, lip stick, powder, cell, IPod…" she listed.

"Tissues, wallet, extra change, extra cash, receipts, blush…" I added.

"Books, snacks, Tylenol when guys give them headaches…" she said seriously. It actually took me a few to realize what she had said.

At the same time, Chopper and Grimm exclaimed, "HEY!"

Blaze and I laughed. We had too much fun teasing the boys. Oh boy, when Cassie got involved, we were unstoppable! When it's the three of us, be afraid, be very, very afraid…

"Ten seconds to impact. Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, impact… now!" Thunderhead said.

"Blue Hound, this is Arkbird. Requesting sonobuoy data link."

"Stand by. We're dropping a new sonobuoy."

"All remaining squadrons, rejoin into attack formation," I said. "The remaining enemy forces are regaining their momentum."

"Wonderful, this is all jolly good," Blaze chirped sarcastically in an English accent. Blaze could do a mean English accent.

"Nice accent Blaze," I complimented.

"Thanks Nagase."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You ask me why I'm doing an accent but you don't ask Blaze?" Chopper demanded.

"Nope."

"… girls…" he muttered. I couldn't help but laugh because Blaze, Cassie and I had a knack for confusing guys. If there was a contest on how to confuse a guy, we would so win at it.

Well, moving on. After I said that, I looked behind me because I heard a loud noise coming from behind me. At that moment, Blaze shot past me at a very high speed. Barely a second after that, an enemy plane shot past me after Blaze. Then who do I see after the enemy plane? Chopper of course.

"Blaze, fly in a straight line so I can shoot him down," Chopper instructed.

"Chopper, if I fly in a straight line, I will be killed!" Blaze protested. "Use your guns!"

Blaze sounded exasperated. I had never heard her talk like that before. She sounded scared. No… no way was I going to let that enemy plane get her. I shot after Chopper.

"Nagase, help Grimm with the ships!" Blaze commanded.

"But-" I started.

"That's an order Nagase!"

I reluctantly followed her order. But if I saw that Chopper couldn't handle the enemy, I was going to engage the enemy following her whether she liked it or not. I could tell Grimm wanted to help out too but Blaze had told him to keep firing at the ships.

"If I use my guns, there's a chance I may hit you instead," Chopper pointed out.

"Fine, then at least try to get a missile lock on him and see if he will get of my tail."

"Captain, look out!" Grimm shouted.

Blaze narrowly avoided a mid-air collision.

"I'm coming to help," I declared.

"Me too!" Grimm said.

"… Fine… You nuggets destroy the enemy ships for now. If a burst missile warning comes, go to above five thousand feet immediately!" Blaze told them severely.

I could see some of the rookies shooting missiles at the ships. Five missiles were fired. Only one hit the ship. Now do you see why we, meaning Blaze, Chopper, Grimm, and me, didn't want them fighting?

It was taking me a while to catch up to Blaze and Chopper. They had already been going so fast that I had to go full throttle to catch up. Blaze was doing loops, Immelman turns, Split-S's, and she could still not shake the enemy plane off.

"This pilot was definitely at the top of his class!" Blaze attempted to joke, even giving a slight chuckle, but I knew she was trying to ease up the situation because anyone could tell her laugh was a fake.

"I wonder…" Blaze began. She started flying directly to an enemy ship.

"Blaze! Pull up! You're gonna crash!" Chopper yelled.

I waited for Blaze to pull up, but she didn't. She was so close to the ship there was no way she could pull up in time. Blaze then suddenly went straight up and the enemy plane, I guess unable to pull up quickly enough, crashed directly into the enemy ship.

"Blaze, you okay?" Chopper inquired quickly. When she didn't respond, he repeated, "Blaze?"

"Captain?" Grimm prodded.

"Blaze?!" I asked as I listened really hard. I could hear some shaky breathing. She had obviously been badly frightened.

"I… I'm fine," she finally replied.

"You sure you'll be okay? 'Cause you don't sound too good," Chopper said warily.

"I'll be fine," she assured.

"Okay…" Chopper still sounded dubious.

She seemed calmer now, not as stressed. I could still tell her voice was a little strange. I'm not sure Chopper or Grimm could though.

"Blue Hound, this is Arkbird. Is that sonobuoy data available yet?"

"Roger, we're sending it now. What are you going to do?"

What _were_ they going to do?

The Arkbird responded, "Countdown to firing. Five, four, three, two, one…"

I all of a sudden had the Arkbird's laser right in front of me. I had to do a hairpin turn to avoid it.

"The Arkbird shot a laser into the ocean!" The anti-sub plane announced excitedly. "Explosion in the water! It damaged the submerged Scinfaxi! Picking up sounds of main ballast blow. The Scinfaxi is surfacing!"

I turn to look where the Arkbird had fired its laser. Then, I saw it, the Scinfaxi. It was huge! It had to be at least seventy feet long and that was pushing it. It was practically the color of the ocean and the only reason I knew where it was is because of the black smoke rising up from it.

**MISSION UPDATE**

"It's huge…" I observed.

"Good lord! How the hell do they make subs like that?" Grimm inquired in amazement.

"Looks like its lost diving ability. It's floating like a cork. All units, commence attack," Thunderhead instructed.

"The Scinfaxi's surfacing! It appears to be damaged!" A Yuke shouted.

Well it was a bit late to say that, seeing as how it has _already_ surfaced. Morons…

"Damn, we have to destroy that… thing?" Blaze asked, sounding annoyed.

"Yeah, we have to destroy that _thing_," Chopper said.

"It will probably use a lot of missiles to destroy. Unless the Arkbird helps which I'm hoping it will," Grimm confessed.

"I bet it will," I said.

"Aircraft launching from enemy submarine," Blue Hound said.

"Roger, Blue Hound, stand by. Wardog, engage the enemy aircraft if you see an opportunity," Thunderhead instructed.

"Yes, sir," Blaze responded.

"Enemy sub launching burst missile. Brace for Impact."

Of course… more burst missiles… couldn't they give us a _freaking _break?!

"Multiple burst missiles… This really is like steel rain!" Grimm commented.

"No kidding," Chopper said. "We gotta end this soon, or we'll be in trouble."

"Ten seconds to impact. Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, impact… now!" Thunderhead said.

The burst missile exploded and I had stupidly been looking at the Scinfaxi when the explosion happened so I was blinded for a few seconds.

"It's like this enemy came straight out of the demon legends," I observed warily. "That can't… It can't be!"

The demon legend I was referring to was the Demon of Razgriz. You've probably heard of it so I won't explain it.

All four of us were using shoot and run tactics. That meant we would shoot and get the hell out of there before we got hit by any SAMs which were stationed everywhere on that freaking submarine. I think that's its new name. It's not the Scinfaxi anymore, it's 'that freaking submarine'.

"If we can sink it here, you think we'll be able to turn the tide of battle, Captain?" Grimm pondered.

"Yes, for one it will definitely be a big loss for the Yukes and two, no more burst missiles… hopefully."

"I hope so; we've been on the defensive for a while now."

"They're throwing intense anti-aircraft fire up at us. Watch out!" Chopper cautioned.

"Yeah, I know. Those people in the sub just love my plane," Blaze said jokingly.

"Have you been hit?!" Chopper inquired seriously.

"No, they just love to shoot at me."

"Chopper, come get this plane off of me!" I shouted.

"Let's see if I can have some fun with him…" Chopper said mischievously.

"Huh?" I said, baffled.

"Don't do it Chopper," Blaze admonished wearily.

"If he flies in a straight line, it will be all right," Chopper said, more to himself than anybody else.

* * *

**Chopper**

I went above the enemy plane going after Nagase, and made the plane go upside down so that I could see into the enemy's cockpit. I saw this from the movie _Top Gun_. When the enemy realized I was above him, I just flipped him off.

"Greetings!" I laughed.

"You did not just do what I think you did…" Blaze moaned. She knew that movie by heart so she knew exactly what I was doing the moment I said "let's see if we can have some fun with him."

"Yep," I replied.

"What did he do?" Grimm questioned.

"Well, whatever he did, he got off my tail," Nagase noted.

"He was keeping up foreign relations," Blaze explained.

"Huh?" I was surprised Grimm still didn't know what she was talking about.

"The finger, Grimm," Nagase said.

"Oh…"

* * *

**Nagase**

"I think that might have made him mad Chopper," Blaze mused.

"Why do you think that?"

"Look behind you."

I turned around to see what she meant. A whole squadron was after him. I guess he had flipped off the Captain of that squadron. Smart move, Chopper, way to go.

"Damn, well at least I showed him what I think of him," Chopper said nonchalantly.

"I'm coming in to help," Blaze assured.

"Me too," I added.

"Me three," Grimm said.

"No, go and destroy the Scinfaxi, I'll be fine," Chopper insisted.

"Chopper, you don't believe that I would leave you when you have an entire squadron of planes behind you, do you?" Blaze chastised.

"No I don't, but the Scinfaxi is more important," He replied.

"I'm going to handle these planes. Nagase and Grimm, you will continue attacking the Scinfaxi," She commanded.

Reluctantly, Grimm and I agreed and dove towards the Scinfaxi, I mean that freaking submarine, and simultaneously fired two of our GPB's (Guided penetrating bomb) and then pulled up before that freaking submarine could fire SAMs at us.

Blaze was shooting down the planes behind Chopper like a person swats flies. They were too easy for her to shoot down. She was an amazing fighter pilot.

"Enemy sub launching burst missile. Brace for impact," Blue Hound informed.

"Really? Another one?! Run out of missiles already!" Chopper shouted. I sighed. Back up we go.

"So that bird's got its eyes on us from outer space…" Grimm mused.

"Yeah. Is it just me or do you feel like we're being stalked because that bird has its eyes on us?" Blaze inquired, sounding quite serious.

"Yeah, it kind of sort of does," Chopper agreed.

"Ten seconds to impact. Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, impact… now!" Thunderhead informed. The ground below us exploded as the burst missile took its toll. Thankfully, none of us were near the explosion and we were all safe. "Arkbird, firing laser."

I turned to look at the Scinfaxi, and then I saw the Arkbird's laser.

"Direct hit! It ripped a massive hole! The sub appears it have lost the ability to launch additional aircraft," Blue Hound notified excitedly.

"Thank goodness," Blaze said gratefully.

"Blast it out of the water!" Thunderhead shouted.

"Let's rock and roll!" Chopper encouraged. We all came from different directions. Somehow, we all fired simultaneously two GPBs. The Scinfaxi was immobilized instantly. Finally…

"How can a submarine that large even exist?!" Grimm sounded incredulous.

**MISSION ACCOMPLISHED**

We had done it. We had destroyed the Yukes most powerful submarine. I watched as the Scinfaxi exploded. It blasted water well over 100 feet high and I could hear the explosion even though I was up at eight thousand feet.

Chopper was yelling "Great balls of fire!" while Blaze did a small "whoo!" before heading towards Sand Island. Grimm joined in with Chopper and the four of us headed back home.

When we landed, Chopper jogged over to Blaze's plane and hugged her when she got out. Blaze did look pretty pale. I think that encounter with the enemy plane really shook her up. She hugged Chopper back without any reluctance. Grimm and I walked away from them so they could have some privacy.

We entered the briefing room and Chopper and Blaze weren't far behind. They were holding hands and Blaze was looking at Chopper and laughing her head off. He always knew how to cheer her up.

I knew the briefing was about to start because the briefer cleared his throat. "The Arkbird was successfully employed over the forward edge of the battle area. The enemy amphibious force attacking Sand Island was repelled, and their invasion plans halted. The underwater carrier Scinfaxi, a lethal enemy threat, was engaged and destroyed by the superior firepower of the Arkbird. Having lost the support of the Scinfaxi, the remaining Yuktobanian forces retreated. Furthermore, we are requesting reinforcements from Central Command to replace our squadron members lost in combat."

* * *

**Later…**

**Genette**

I walked in the crew room, looking for something to take a picture of. I saw Nagase on the couch and immediately took out my camera… hopefully the way I just said that doesn't sound stalker-ish.

"The Arkbird…" Nagase murmured as I was about to take her picture.

"Huh?" I said, utterly confused. Oh yeah, I must seem so brilliant to her.

"The white bird in outer space," She started. "With Yuktobania outclassing us in firepower, it was the President's one trump card in the peace negotiations. And now… it's fallen right out of our hands."

"So you're saying we don't know how long this war will drag on?" I queried. Nagase just lowered her head down, which I took as a yes.

The Arkbird: a super weapon capable of attacking from space, far beyond the reach of the enemy. Its power generator was destroyed by explosives planted inside a supply shipment launched from Earth. Once again, the balance of power had tipped toward Yuktobania.

"I'm sorry, Nagase," I said, putting my camera down and walking over to her. I sat on the arm at the opposite end of the couch.

"It's okay. We'll win this. With your sister as our captain, anything is possible," Nagase said with a smile.

"Well, look on the bright side, in a few weeks, you get to have a break!"

"Oh yeah! Man, I can't wait. It'll be nice to see my family again," Nagase told me, looking thoughtful.

"Yeah, I bet," I agreed.

"Nagase!" A man's voice yelled.

"Yes, sir," Nagase replied. It was Hamilton.

"Go put your flight suit on and get up in the air and practice," Hamilton ordered. He left the crew room and Nagase groaned.

"Can't they see how exhausted we are?" Nagase muttered.

"I'll walk with you," I said, standing up. Nagase smiled at me and we left the crew room. Grimm was already there, Cassie was with him. Apparently, she was going to be flying with him as his RIO, as practice. Pops was there too, talking to Grimm and Cassie.

"Hey y'all," I greeted. They all said hi back.

"Genette, do you want to fly with Nagase?" Pops asked.

"Yes, I would, but only of it is okay with her," I said.

"It would be nice to have a RIO. Climb aboard," She laughed.

"I'll get you a flight suit Genette, come with me," Pops said. I followed him back to the main building on Sand Island, got my flight suit, and walked back to the hangar. Blaze and Chopper still weren't there.

"Where are those two, I wonder," I pondered in amusement.

"They're probably talking up a storm or hiding from Hamilton," Grimm suggested.

"Or both," Cassie added.

"We're here!" Blaze announced. She and Chopper skidded into the hangar.

"Hey y'all," Blaze said a little breathlessly.

"Where were y'all?" I asked.

"Talking," Blaze said.

"And hiding from Hamilton," Chopper added.

"Called it!" Grimm and Cassie exclaimed. We laughed while Blaze and Chopper just looked bewildered.

We got in our planes and took off. Our practices were what everyone on base called hops because what you did is you would get in partners so this time it was girls versus guys: Blaze and Nagase on one team, and Chopper and Grimm on the other. One team would be the good guys, one would be the bad guys. Chopper and Grimm were the bad guys while Blaze and Nagase were the good guys. The first time around, none of them could get a missile lock on each other. Then it was dinner time so we landed after being up in the air for about three hours. We ate a light dinner and then went back outside to do some more practicing because Hamilton told us to. So we all begrudgingly went back and got in our planes. It was the same teams and we finally figured out that if one team was shot down, we could go to bed. The problem was deciding on which team was going to get a missile lock on one another because that was how you got "shot down." If you got a missile lock on you, you were out. Blaze got behind Grimm and he had no clue and Nagase and I sure as hell weren't going to say anything. Blaze got a missile lock and Grimm was out, so he flew low to the ground. Of course, when Nagase and I had been watching Blaze get Grimm, Chopper had gotten a hold of us so we flew low so that Blaze and Chopper knew we were out. Blaze and Chopper were really competitive. Neither of them wanted to give in and it was a pretty intense fight. Finally they went head on and got a missile lock on each other at the same and that ended the hops, much to our relief because to tell you the truth, we were doggone tired. But, since our luck sucks, we were told to check on our planes. Oh joy…

* * *

**Okay, hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review! And I'll get the next chapter up as soon as possible! This re-editing is really tedious and it's taking a while… plus I have other chapters to write for this story sooo… Anywho, as I said before, please review!**


	9. Handful of Hope

**(June 9, 2011 update- Hi everyone! So, after rereading this and all, I came up with an idea that I would give you a fun fact about the Ace Combat series in every chapter. So, here's the first one: **

**The last mission in the game is called "ACES". The call signs of all of Blaze's wingmen in alphabetical order are Archer, Chopper, Edge, and Swordsman. The first letters from the call signs spell ACES.**

**I never knew that until I read acepedia. God I love the internet! Anyways, hope you enjoy the chapter!)**

**(October 28, 2012 Update: Formatting change from script to dialogue form)**

* * *

Chapter 8: Handful of Hope

Later, after the mission and after we had returned back to Sand Island (which was late at night), all of us were too tired to really do anything so we ate something that was supposed to pass as dinner and headed off to bed.

However, I went to Nagase's room. I wanted to talk to her about something. I knocked on her door and she groggily opened the door.

"What's wrong Blaze?" She yawned.

"Can I talk to you real quick?" I asked kind of bashfully.

"Always. Come on in," Nagase said. She stood aside and I walked inside and to her couch. Her room was filled with books, kind of like my room. She and I were big readers, but while she mostly read history, I read everything.

Nagase sat on her bed. God this was going to be awkward but I had to know.

"Nagase, um, who do you like?"

"Blaze, you came in here at ten at night to ask who I like?" Nagase looked at me with an amused face.

"Yes! It's just, I know you like someone and I don't know who it is and it's been driving me crazy!"

"Um, I don't like anyone," Nagase said. Biggest lie ever.

"Bull Nagase. You know I know that," I said.

"Fine, I do like someone but I'm not telling you who it is," Nagase muttered.

"Why? Is it Grimm?"

"No, it's not Grimm."

I thought for a second. "Is it Chopper?"

"No! God no! He's like a brother to me!" Nagase exclaimed. I started naming off all the guys on base and each time the answer was no.

"It was _none_ of those guys?"

"Correct."

"Does he go to the Air Force Base?"

"Yes, technically."

"Technically? How can someone _technically_ go here? I mean they would have to be like family or a reporter or- oh my god! You like Genette!" I exclaimed. Nagase turned a very deep red.

"I'm sorry Blaze!"

"Sorry?! Why are you sorry?!"

"Because I like your older brother," Nagase said quietly.

"Oh Nagase, I don't care. Heh, if you want to know, I always thought that you two would make a good couple," I admitted.

"Really?" Nagase looked shocked.

"Yeah."

"Well then, that's all I wanted to know, and honest to God, I swear on my life I'm telling the truth, I'm glad you like my brother because if I wanted him to date anyone on base, you would be the one I would choose," I assured her.

"Thanks Blaze." She smiled. Well now. My night just got more interesting. I left the room and headed to Chopper's room. I knocked. He opened immediately.

"What are you doing up hun?" He asked sweetly.

"I need to talk to you," I said. His face turned grave. "It's not like that Chopper. This is about Nagase."

His face instantly brightened up. "Oh! Come on in!"

I walked into his room and appreciated the music coming from his stereo. It was _Enchanted_ by Taylor Swift.

"Why are you listening to Taylor Swift?" I asked, grinning.

"I like country and uh, I can't find my remote to switch the channels and I can't use the buttons on the stereo because they're broken…" Chopper explained, rubbing the back of his head and looking sheepish.

"I love this song." I smiled. Chopper looked at me, then the stereo and back at me.

"Care to dance?" Chopper inquired, bowing and holding out his hand. I laughed and gladly took it. He and I started dancing slowly to the song.

"So what's wrong with Nagase?" Chopper asked.

"She likes Genette," I said.

"Are you mad about it?"

"No! I just wish I could find out if Genette liked her. I mean, I'm almost positive he does but I'm not sure and I hate not knowing stuff."

"Let me guess, you want me to find out?"

"And people say I'm mind reader. Yes, I want you to find out. I would ask him myself but trust me, he won't tell me."

"All right, I'll see what I can do," Chopper said with a smile.

"Thank you!" I did a quick kiss on his lips. The song ended and I left Chopper's room.

* * *

**October 4, 2010…**

**Chopper**

I woke up early the next morning and groggily sat up. I had had a horrible dream and hadn't gotten much sleep. I dreamed that one of us had got shot down. I knew it wasn't Blaze because at the end of the it, I was in Blaze's room and she was crying hysterically. I tried to comfort her but the dream wouldn't let me budge. I had to force my eyes open and the image of Blaze still doubled up on her bed was burned into the back of my mind.

I put on some cargo pants and a white t-shirt and I walked to the crew room to make a cup of tea. The crew room was empty which I didn't mind. I was tempted to go and see Blaze but I knew she was still asleep. Deciding to sit down and watch TV, I walked over to the couch. I searched for the remote but couldn't find it anywhere and this TV was the kind that didn't have _any_ buttons on it. I sighed and went to the weight room to find that Genette was in there. Perfect!

"Hey Genette," I said with a little head nod.

"Hey Chopper. What are you doing up this early?" Genette asked as he sat up.

"Woke up and couldn't fall back asleep. You?"

"Same."

"Listen, can I ask you something?"

"Depends on what it is."

"Okay, this isn't usual guy talk, this is usually girl talk, but who do you like?"

"Promise not to tell Blaze?"

"Promise," I said.

"Um, I like Nagase," Genette admitted.

"Ah ha!"

"Ah ha? Ah ha what?" Genette looked completely confused.

"Now it's your turn to promise me something."

"Okay…"

"Tell Blaze."

"What?!"

"Tell her. She already knows."

"She does?"

"Well, actually it was a hunch on her part but-"

"Hey guys," Nagase and Blaze walked into the room. It was obvious Blaze was trying to hide a smile. That girl had the most amazing timing…

* * *

**Blaze**

"Nagase! Um, hi!" Genette blurted. My poor brother. I had overheard the whole conversation with Chopper and my brother. So he did like Nagase! It was probably a little awkward for him because he was shirtless and from other girls (such as previous girlfriends and girls that told me about him that didn't know I was his sister), I heard he had a pretty good eight pack, and that was actually the truth. Who knew? Nagase looked at me and I tried hard not to laugh.

"Looks like we all had the same idea," I said. We all looked at each other because we were all in work out gear.

"That's ironic," Nagase commented.

"Just a bit," Genette agreed.

"Shoot! I forgot my ITouch. I'll be right back!" I exclaimed. I said that for two reasons. One, I needed to let Genette and Nagase have some alone time. Two, it was actually true.

"I'll come with you," Chopper said.

"Thanks Chopper," I said smiling. He knew what I was doing. "I want to make sure no guys try to hit on you."

"Oh please, Chopper. The guys here hardly pay any attention to me." I rolled my eyes.

"Well, they're dead scared of you. And they do pay attention to you. I've seen the way some of those guys look at you. Especially Hamilton."

"Hamilton?"

"Hamilton."

"Nah," I said.

"Ya!"

"Oh, let's just get my ITouch." I headed towards the door with Chopper trailing me. We left the room and headed towards my room.

"Did you two overhear anything?" Chopper asked me.

"I did, she didn't."

"So she has no clue that Genette likes her?"

"Not a clue."

We went to my room and grabbed my ITouch and my phone, then headed back to the weight room.

* * *

**Genette**

"Why do I get the feeling that they're up to something?" Nagase asked.

"Because they are," I pointed out with a grin. Nagase laughed and it was the best sound I had ever heard.

"Do you workout often?"

"Um, ever since I started coming to Sand Island." I laughed kind of sheepishly.

"Why?" Nagase looked at me curiously.

"Because these guys would've whooped my butt at everything and I was way out of shape. Plus, I didn't want to be the weakest guy here."

"You're not the weakest guy here, trust me."

"How do you know?"

"Because I can lift heavier weights than some of the guys here." Nagase raised her eyebrows.

"Well, that's good to know. Thanks Nagase," I said. Nagase went to get a drink of water and that's when some movement in the glass in the doorway caught my attention. It was Blaze. She was mouthing something to me. I looked at her like she was crazy. Finally, she used sign language.

A fist… that's 'A'.

A fist with the thumb across the fingers… that's 'S'.

Thumb between the pointer and middle finger… that's 'K'.

Pointer and middle finger horizontally together… that's 'H'.

Fingers curled above the thumb… that's 'E'.

Fingers crossed… that's 'R'.

It took me a few seconds to put the letters together. Then it struck me. Blaze was telling me to ask Nagase out. How the hell did she know?!

"Nagase, I'll be back. I have to talk to Blaze real quick." I rapidly got up and exited the weight room. Blaze was away from the door. Chopper was nowhere to be seen.

"What do you mean ask her?" I asked my sister incredulously.

"I mean ask her out. I know you like her," She said.

"No I don't," I lied.

"Genette, I may be blonde, but I'm not blind… or deaf. I heard you admit to Chopper you liked her."

"Wait, was this planned between you and Chopper?"

"Only him asking you who you liked. Not the part where I eavesdropped," Blaze said a little sheepishly.

"I… don't know what to say," I said.

"Don't say anything to me. Go in there and _ask her_!" Blaze pointed to the door and stomped her foot lightly.

"Blaze, she'll say no. It's just like you and Chopper. She'll-"

"Genette, go in there and ask her. I wouldn't be telling you this if I thought she would say no now would I?" I hated it when my younger sister made a point. I took a deep breath and walked into the weight room before I could chicken out.

"Everything okay Genette? You look like something's wrong." Nagase stood up and looked at me with… worry? I scratched the back of my head and took a deep breath.

"Um, I can't believe I'm going to say this because, uh, I already know the answer will be no, but… will… will you be my girlfriend?"

* * *

**Chopper**

I walked back to the weight room. Harrison Ford (he is not related to the actor from Star Wars) had asked me to help him with a computer problem. I told Blaze I would catch up with her later so when I got to the weight room, I was surprised to find that Blaze wasn't there.

"Hey, Nagase, Genette, do you know where Blaze is?" I asked.

"No, but when you see her, tell her thanks," Genette said.

"Will do." I was about to leave when I turned around. "You two seem very happy. What gives?"

"I'm not single anymore," Genette replied, putting his arm around Nagase.

"Finally!"

"You knew we liked each other?" Nagase inquired.

"It's a long story. Have fun you two!" I left the room and went to the crew room, where Blaze would most likely be. She was.

"Blaze! Guess what!" I exclaimed, running up to her.

"What?!" She asked.

"Genette and Nagase are going out now."

"Yes!" She exclaimed, laughing and hugging me. "Go let Cassie and Grimm know. I'm going to go lay down once my tea is ready."

"Are you okay?" I asked immediately.

"Yeah, I have a sore throat, that's all. I'll be fine," Blaze said. I waited with her until her tea was ready before I went to tell Cassie and Grimm. We walked back to her room and after she hugged me tightly goodbye, I went to find Cassie and Grimm.

It turns out that they already knew. They had already been told by Nagase and Genette. I went to my room and picked up a book. I'm not much of a reader but my sister had gotten this for me because it was about the Belkan War, and she knows how interested I am in that. So I actually started reading this and after about three hours of reading, I got up and stretched to go get something to eat.

I walked to the cafeteria and ordered a hot soup and chocolate milk. I love my chocolate milk so don't judge.

Once I had my food, I sat down and started eating. Cassie and Grimm came in together and sat down with me.

"Hey Chopper," Cassie greeted me cheerily.

"Hey y'all. What's up?"

"Oh, not much. Where's Blaze?"

"I think she's in her room. Why?"

"Well, we knocked on her door but she didn't answer it," Grimm said.

"What?" I was kind of alarmed.

"Well, Blaze always has been a heavy sleeper," Cassie pointed out.

"Let me call her cell," I said. I took out my phone and dialed Blaze's number. It rung three times before Blaze picked up.

"Hello?" Blaze said with a weak voice.

"Hey Blaze. Where are you?"

"My room. Why?"

"Grimm and Cassie tried to come see you but you didn't answer. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Oh, tell them I'm sorry. I was out. I didn't even hear them knock."

"Okay. I'll talk to you later. Love you," I said.

"Love you too Chopper," Blaze replied. We hung up and I told Grimm and Cassie what Blaze had said.

"Hey, lovebirds, I'm going to go check on Blaze. I'll talk to you later." I got up and left the table and headed towards Blaze's room. I got there quickly and knocked. When she didn't answer, I gently opened the door. It opened so I walked in. Blaze was passed out on her couch with a mountain of blankets over her. I walked over to her and gently pushed some hair out of her face. She was burning up.

"Chopper?" Blaze murmured, her eyes opening up a little.

"Hey, you're burning up. Are you okay?" I inquired, placing my hand on her head. She definitely had a fever.

"I feel like crap," Blaze admitted with a weak smile.

"You're running fever. You need to go to the Base Medic and get Claritin or something."

"No, no, I'll be fine," Blaze insisted.

"No, you won't be. Let me carry you," I said.

"No, I'll be fine. Just help me get up." Reluctantly, I helped Blaze get up. She was a little unsteady on her feet.

"Are you sure you don't want me to carry you?" I asked.

"I'm sure." With a sigh of defeat I wrapped my arm around Blaze's waist as to make sure she didn't fall down on her way to the infirmary. We walked slowly to the infirmary, not passing anyone on the way which I found rather strange. Blaze rested her head on my shoulder and even through the fabric of my shirt, I could still feel how hot her face was. Deciding to go against her wishes, I lifted her up and carried her rest of the way to the infirmary. She didn't protest.

"What's wrong?" The medic, Dr. Gibson, questioned the instant he saw me with Blaze in my arms.

"She's really sick. She's burning up," I explained quickly as I set Blaze down on the examining bed.

"Blaze? Can you hear me?" Dr. Gibson asked.

"Yeah, I can hear you," Blaze mumbled. Dr. Gibson went to the cabinet and took out a thermometer. He checked Blaze's temperature and after a small gasp, the doctor went to the medicine cabinet. I'm not sure how he knew which cabinet to go to because they all looked the same and there were about fifty of them in there.

"It's no wonder she feels the way she does. Her temperature is 103.2," Dr. Gibson said.

"What?!" I exclaimed. That would explain why Blaze felt so bad. Geez! I had never had that high of a temperature whenever I had been sick. Good lord!

"Will she be okay?" I asked.

"She'll be okay as long as I can watch her. You go and I'll tell you when she's feeling better. Let's move her to one of the private rooms," Dr. Gibson said. I nodded and gently lifted Blaze. She snuggled in close to my chest and I held her more tightly to me. I followed Dr. Gibson to a room that was very, very plain and very, very white. There were more cabinets, a small bathroom, a chair, and a nightstand with a lamp on it. I set Blaze down on the bed and covered her up. I sat down beside her in the chair.

"Lieutenant, you are not allowed to be in here at this time," Dr. Gibson pointed out.

"But-" I started to protest but it was Blaze who cut me off.

"Chopper, I'll be fine," Blaze smiled sweetly at me. I hated leaving her here by herself.

"I'll bring you a book if you get bored," I said. I bent down and kissed her on the forehead and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too Chopper," Blaze murmured back. She shut her eyes and she fell asleep instantly.

"I'll let you know when you can come see her," Dr. Gibson told me. With a sigh and a final glance at Blaze, I headed out of the infirmary and went to find Genette. He would want to know about Blaze seeing as how he's her brother and all. I checked the crew room. Not there. I checked his room. He didn't answer the door. I finally checked the cafeteria and there he was with Nagase, and they were both chowing down on cheeseburgers that looked pretty appetizing.

"Hey Chopper. You look awful," Nagase said.

"Nice to see you too," I muttered. "Listen, Blaze is really sick. She's in the infirmary right now."

"What's wrong with her?" Genette literally dropped his burger when he asked. Nagase's face went grave.

"She had a sore throat earlier so I went on in to check on her three hours later and she was burning up. I persuaded her to go to the infirmary and halfway there I picked her up because she looked like she was about to fall over. When we got there, the doctor took her temperature and she was at one-o-three-point-two. She's out cold right now and she has to stay there until she gets better. They don't want it spreading."

"I'm going to go see her," Genette declared standing up.

"Doctor won't let you. Wouldn't let me stay there and I just came from there. He said he would let me know when I could come see her."

"But I'm family."

"You can try," I said. Genette nodded and left the table. Nagase looked after him and then back at me.

"Are you okay?" Nagase asked.

"Yeah, just worried about Blaze is all," I said.

"She'll be fine," Nagase assured me.

Over the course of the next six days, Blaze had to be kept in the infirmary. I got to see her three times, and I was always with another person: Genette, Nagase, Grimm, and Cassie. Finally, on the sixth day, Doctor Gibson let her out and she was ecstatic saying how she was going crazy seeing all that white and how it reminded her of a dream she had and how in the dream she was in the middle of a white factory in her bed with conveyor belts all around her and midgets in suits like from _Shrek 2_ were running around. Yeah, she was very random.

After the next week, Blaze was back to her normal self with only a small cough once in a while. Nothing even remotely interesting happened in the two weeks that we had no enemy attacks. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed having no enemy attacks because all of us had been able to catch up on some much needed rest.

Then again, the last four days, they had us up in the air practicing for around fourteen hours a day. That was not fun… at all.

* * *

**Nagase**

After a little over two weeks, we had another mission. I had to say, I missed being up in the air. I felt so free up there. I think that's why Blaze became a fighter pilot too. She was always a free spirit, never afraid to speak her mind but at the same time, careful about what she said, or at least how she said it.

I sat down next to Genette in the briefing room. Blaze, Chopper, Grimm, and Cassie were already there. The Base Commander was standing in the front of the room, looking pissed off as usual. Seriously, he _always_ looked pissed off and we, meaning me, Chopper, Blaze, Genette, Cassie, and Grimm, always wondered who spit in his cereal in the morning (there are actually people here who I wouldn't put it past them to actually do that).

"Since we thwarted their invasion, we haven't seen any major offensive operation by the enemy for several weeks. Almost like we're at peace again, eh, people? Anyway, let's start the briefing," The Base Commander ordered, turning to look at the monitor.

The briefer cleared his throat. "Yuktobanian combat operations have been dormant since their failed large-scale invasion and the loss of their underwater carrier, Scinfaxi. However, there is still concern over a possible infiltration by small-scale forces from the ground and the air. You will split into flights of two and carry out patrols in the area from Akerson Hill to the northern coastline. The airspace above the grain fields extending around Akerson is covered by our Osean AA system. The system automatically fires missiles at any hostile aircraft it detects. Patrol the northern coastline of Akerson Hill, which is out of our AA system's range.

Operation: -

Location: Akerson Hill

Date: 2010/10/22

Time: 1200 Hrs.

The four of us walked to the hangar and Blaze chose our planes. She chose an F/A-18E for all of us because they were good aircraft for air and ground fighting. She and I would be partners patrolling one area while Chopper and Grimm would be patrolling another. Later in the mission, we would regroup and continue to scout the area.

* * *

Blaze and I flew at a leisurely pace, scanning the surrounding area. The land below us was mainly farmland, and since it was fall, the ground was semi-brown, although there were a few green patches here and there. Windmills dotted the landscape along with the occasional,m stereotypical red farm. I could even see a few horses and cows down in the pastures.

"That stupid geezer Base Commander just won't give us a break, will he?" Chopper moaned.

"You said it," Blaze agreed. They hardly ever disagreed on anything in the first place.

"He's relying on us First Lieutenant Chopper. Hey, congratulations on your promotion by the way," Grimm praised.

"That's weird, I don't feel any better…" he mumbled.

"Well, you should. It's good to promoted."

"You were promoted too Grimm," Blaze pointed out cheerfully. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks! Hell, congratulations to all of us because we all got promotions."

"Very true," she mused.

"Hey, you two. What's your current position?" I asked, jumping into the conversations.

"Three hundred miles south of you," Chopper informed.

"Roger."

We elapsed into a brief silence and I was wondering… actually more like betting to myself that Chopper was going to be the first one to break it but it wasn't. Instead, some stranger came on.

"... damaged, but the damage is light," the voice said gruffly.

"Transmitting aircraft, state your assignment and current status," I ordered. I could see a plane in the distance. Blaze fired up and zoomed over to the plane; I followed closely behind.

"Oh, finally a response… This is the Osean Air Force transport plane Mother Goose One. We're flying to the neutral country of North Point. We have the transmitter set to minimum power. Please come in closer so we can hear."

We were already on our way. We reached the airplane in a few seconds and while Blaze flew on the left side, I flew on the right.

"Ah, I think this is you on our radar. Can you see us?" The captain inquired. His voice reminded me of Bartlett. God I missed him… Don't get me wrong, I love Blaze being Captain. She's phenomenal at it, but I still miss Bartlett.

"Yes, sir. We can see you," Blaze replied.

"We'd like you to guide us to a safe passage corridor through the AA defenses. We're on a top secret mission and I'm not transmitting a valid friendly ID signal to the ground-based automatic defense systems. As a result, a friendly surface-to-air missile was mistakenly fired at us. We narrowly avoided a direct hit, but our radar system was destroyed and we can't fly a safe path through the AA system."

"This is Blaze, leader of the Wardog Squadron. My partner is Edge. Follow us and we'll lead you safely through the AA system."

Blaze and I pulled up alongside the transport plane. We needed to help him; that much was obvious. Besides, he wouldn't win against two fighter pilots with radars and missiles and guns when all he had was a regular transport plane.

The in-flight briefer came on and instructed us on our mission. "Guide the transport plane through the AA system's radar coverage and take it to Akerson Hill. The transport is on a top-secret mission, so its ID signal has not been registered in the AA system's database. As a result, if the transport is picked up by the AA system, it may be shot down by our own missile fire. The engagement zone of this ground-based AA system is displayed on your radar. Due to combat damage, the transport's radar system is inoperable, and its maneuverability restricted. Guide the plane so it stays out of the AA system's engagement zone.

**Mission Update**

"… Uh, the air defense command just received multiple radar hits on an enemy formation closing on your position," Chopper notified grimly.

"Damn," Blaze muttered.

"First bad guys we've seen crossing the pond for a while. Warning alarms are goin' off like mad, but we're the only ones near enough to intercept 'em in time. Hold on, baby, we're comin' to your rescue."

"Understood. We're counting on you two," I said airily.

"We won't let you down," Grimm assured.

Blaze was ahead of me and I was being careful to follow her exact movements. The circles that represented the AA system appeared on my radar. My heart started pounding. I had utter confidence in Blaze. It was me I was worried about.

The circles ranged in different sizes. Some were small, some were large. Some were packed close together, others were spread apart. Blaze had to be very precise in her movements.

"Blaze, can you see the transport craft?" I questioned.  
"Crystal clear."

"Roger. Keep your eyes on it."

"You too."

"Okay, I've got him on my radar," A voice snarled in triumph. They were so not fighting for Osea. So my next question was: why the hell was I picking up an enemy's voice? I wasn't supposed too. Could they hear us?

"Just like the intelligence said," Another Yuke said casually.

"The radio's picking up the enemy's voice!" Grimm pointed out.

"Strange," I noted. "Do you think they can hear us?"

"I don't think they can."

"These guys sound as beautiful as Thunderhead. Sweet as a rose, I tell ya," Chopper declared.

"Chopper, you need to look up the meaning of "sweet as a rose," because my definition is completely different from yours!" Blaze claimed.

He laughed. "What's yours?"

"Mine means literally the person is sweet."

"Oh, like you?"

"… Flirt." I could hear the mirth in Blaze's voice even though she wasn't laughing.

"Well, you are."

"Only when I want to be."

"Very true." Blaze laughed good-naturedly at Chopper's comment. I had to say, those two were made for each other.

Chuckling, I told them, "Stop flirting right now you two lovebirds. We have a mission to carry out."

"Yeah, you're probably right. But Blaze, when we get back to the base, I owe you a rose," Chopper said.

"That sounds fine by me!"

Grimm and I laughed. As long as she was with Chopper, she was fine with anything.

Blaze was maneuvering carefully through the AA zone. It was difficult because the sizes of the circles on my radar varied in size (as I told you already) and were randomly placed. It was getting annoying and tedious.

"Don't let up just because it's a transport plane," a Yuke growled. "If we take out this guy, they won't just give us a deal- they'll build a statue in our honor."

"This cargo's certainly worth that much," another one grouched.

"Is that the enemy speaking? What are these guys talking about?" I demanded.

"I think they're talking about us…" Blaze said, trailing off as if something was on her mind.

"If they come anywhere near you two, they're dead meat," Chopper growled.

"Glad to know you have our back Chopper," Blaze said sweetly.

"I dare them to try and get past Blaze," Grimm waged. Chopper and I agreed.

"Don't worry about that. We need your escort. We're completely defenseless," the Transport Captain reminded us. He had no idea that we always commented on everything to keep us sane in missions. We would just ignore him about that part.

"Well, now, this is turnin' out to be a weird little race against the enemy," Chopper noted.

"You said it Chopper," Grimm agreed.

My heart was still hammering inside my chest, but Chopper's constant babble was lessening it a little. He had always been good at that. Lessening tense situations I mean. I swear to God that kid could be about to get shot down and he would still be making jokes about it.

"Mother Goose One, push to radio frequency one-three-six megahertz," I commanded.

"Roger, switching."

"We're halfway through the AA system," Blaze announced.

"Mother Goose One, any problems on your end?" I questioned.

"No problems. But we'd like to get out of this airspace ASAP."

"I can understand why," Blaze said.

There was a pause for a while; none of us spoke a word. Not even Chopper, who seemed to always be talking. He really couldn't shut up for more than a minute.

The transport captain broke the silence… again.

"I never thought the skies over our own country could be so unfriendly."

Blaze made a sharp turn and I quickly followed.

"My plane's damaged, so I can't put undue stress on the airframe," the Transport Captain informed. "As much as you can, try to fly in a straight line for me."

"Sorry, sir," Blaze apologized although in all honesty I didn't think she needed to. "This AA system is hard to maneuver, well, harder than most."

Blaze made some more turns, even after the captain's request. She had to or else we would fly over a part of the AA system and the Transport Captain wouldn't know any better than to follow us and then he would be identified and without a valid friendly ID signal, he would be shot down and this mission would fail… I think way too much but what I did think just now was the truth and I had never failed a mission and I didn't plan on it now. I also just sounded like one of those DirecTV commercials…

"Please fly a course that avoids the AA system," the Captain requested.

"Yes, sir," Blaze responded.

"Osean Air Force fighter pilot, can you see us?"

"Yes, sir. I can see you."

"Roger. Please show us the way."

Okay, I know that this captain is in need of rescuing and all, but he sure is a chatty Cathy. And he repeated a lot of things he said which was annoying.

"The fact that we can't see makes this twice as scary."

"We'll get you out of here safely," Blaze promised.

"Everything's smooth on our end."

"Let us know if anything goes wrong. We're here to help."

Another thing, we know he can't see but does he _have_ to keep repeating it? Seriously, I think we got it. Wow I need sleep. I wouldn't be this touchy if I had been getting enough sleep.

Once again, we all lapsed into silence.

"Thank goodness we have all of you with us," The Captain said.

"We're glad we were here to help you." Blaze sounded so calm although I knew her well enough she was having to control her annoyance at the Captain repeating practically everything he said.

Blaze made a small shift in her flying pattern so that we had a direct flight out of the AA system without having to turn anymore.

I looked up at the sky above me. How nice it would be to just get in a plane and just fly. Fly anywhere without having to worry about avoiding an AA system or helping a transport plane or having to fight against an enemy.

The bright blue was beautiful compared to the dead, brown land below.

"That's good. I'd appreciate it if you could minimize your turns," The captain complimented.

"Warning! We have oil pressure problem on the right engine!" Another voice, I'm guessing the co-pilot, shouted.

"I'll take the controls. You check the instruments for me. Look forward, and take a deep breath. Stay calm."

I waited impatiently to know if the transport plane was all right. I still hadn't heard a peep out of Grimm and Chopper, especially Chopper.

"Great balls of fire!" Chopper howled enthusiastically.

I spoke too soon.

"Chopper… what are you doing?" Blaze asked cautiously.

"Whatever could you mean Blaze?" Chopper countered drolly.

"Don't answer a question with a question," Blaze snapped lightly.

"I just did."

"Shut up!" Blaze said with a laugh.

"That's damn near impossible to do."

"So we've noticed," Grimm mused.

"Hey!" Chopper protested.

"Well, it's kind of hard not to. I mean, you do talk constantly and you barely shut up."

"Grimm, I have to agree with you on this one. I don't mind the talking constantly but you really do Chopper. That's why I love ya," Blaze said.

"What the hell's going on here? Is it 'Gang up on Chopper day' or what?" Chopper demanded huffily. I laughed pretty hard because Grimm usually didn't get mouthy with Chopper. Of course, I agreed too because it really was true in case you haven't noticed by now. And then again, if you haven't noticed, then go back and read all this again because Chopper is very chatty.

"It's okay. It was just a sensor malfunction," the Co-Pilot notified.

"We'll be out of the AA defense system's coverage shortly," I replied.

"Thank god," I heard Blaze mumble.

After a few more minor turns and a couple minutes later, we were safely out of the AA system much to my, and I'm sure to Blaze and especially the Transport Captains, relief. That had been some intense flying. This had been a different kind of intense because usually, you're worried about your life. In this case, we made one wrong move, and we could've ended the lives of everyone on the transport plane and having that kind of burden on your shoulders is not fun.

**Mission Update**

"This is Mother Goose One. We've successfully navigated through the AA system. Thank you. However, I'd like to ask you for your continued escort."

"Enemy spotted on radar. Coming head-on," I alerted.

"Oh, that's just great. Let's see if we can have some fun with them," Blaze said.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Chopper inquired hopefully.

"If you must pull a Maverick, Chopper, then yes, go right ahead."

I could practically see Blaze beaming in her plane.

"Chopper team has arrived," I said.

"Hey, Kid. We're under your command now," Chopper told Blaze.

"Technically, you were still under my command," Blaze pointed out.

"True, but I called the shots a little while ago. Now you do," he bantered.

"I'm not going to win this argument so I'm just going to shut up right now."

"You're correct about that."

Chopper and Grimm appeared on my radar coming towards us at full speed. We had finally gotten out of the AA system, much to my relief. I never have liked being constricted to flying a certain way. Neither has Blaze, which is probably why she's such a good fighter. She's unpredictable and fast and deadly accurate.

"Mother Goose One, we'll take care of him. Please separate at maximum speed," I ordered.

"Please, I'm counting on you," the Captain answered, sounding surprisingly gentle.

"We won't let you down. I promise," Blaze said softly.

"What are they doing in this airspace, anyway?" Chopper queried.

"That's a very good question to which I have no answer," Blaze admitted sadly.

"Was our mission intel compromised?" The Captain asked.

"Additional; enemy targets on radar," I warned.

"I see them. Here's where the fun begins," Blaze said mischievously.

"Blaze, I think you need to find a dictionary and find the definition of 'fun,'" Grimm observed.

"Why whatever do you mean Grimm?"

"I swear you're blonder than Chopper sometimes…"

"Hey!" Chopper protested… again.

"I don't think anyone can beat Chopper," Blaze confessed.

"You can… sometimes. However, Chopper usually beats everyone most of the time."

"Would you two stop ganging up on me?!" Chopper pleaded furiously. I could hear Blaze and Grimm laughing. I was laughing myself. Grimm had gotten more comfortable with being sarcastic to us. He had been rather shy when he first joined us. I was glad he was breaking out of that shell because you had to be able to be sarcastic back to Chopper when Chopper says something sarcastic (or rude) to you.

"Mother Goose One, please keep your current vector," I said.

"Roger… Roger! Agh, dammit!"

"Your speed's decreasing. What's the matter?"

"Mechanical trouble. I'm losing thrust on engine one."

"Hey, I see escort fighters," A Yuke said suddenly.

"I thought there weren't going to be any escorts?" Another one added, sounding incensed. I could see the enemy appear before me and I saw Blaze go head to head with them; Chopper followed her lead and together, they fired two missiles each. Their missiles hit two of the four planes.

"Suckers!" Blaze shouted. "Everyone, engage!"

"Archer, engaging."

"Edge, engaging."

"Chopper, engaging."

Two planes had started to trail me and I needed help fast.

"Chopper, Grimm, cover me," I ordered.

"But Blaze needs my help," Chopper said.

"Chopper, go help Nagase. I'll be fine. I promise," Blaze told him softly but firmly.

"…Okay, Kid."

Chopper and Grimm trailed the two enemy planes behind me and shot them down with relatively no trouble.

"Okay, I'm protecting this transport plane no matter what," Chopper stated. His tone told anyone he wasn't going to deviate from anything… except if Blaze was in grave danger.

"Captain, there's a problem with the hydraulics," the co-pilot reported frantically.

"Luch Squadron annihilated!" A Yuke shouted.

"They just won't stop…" I said aloud even though I was mainly speaking to myself. I had had enough of the Yukes always coming after us. It was our turn now. What the hell were those guys doing at HQ?

"It sure seems that way…" Blaze concurred.

"The oil pressure gauge is dropping further!" The co-pilot added.

"I'll take a look. You take the controls… All right, that's the way to do it. Hang in there! Quit gawking outside! Check your power setting!"

"Yes! Roger! Checking power setting!"

"They're like hyenas. Going after a helpless transport plane… you ever heard of honor, guys?" Chopper queried.

"They're pathetic if they're steeping that low," Blaze said.

I started losing count of how many planes we had shot down. By now, this far into the war, it didn't really matter.

"Get out of the airspace as quickly as possible!" The Transport Captain snapped. "Prepare to eject if necessary."

I saw Blaze shoot down an enemy pilot. Chopper was trailing an enemy plane that was behind the transport plane but he couldn't get a missile lock on the target and he was getting very frustrated by the sounds he was making over the mic. Grimm and I were after enemy planes and the one I was after was a pain in the ass (excuse my French). It kept making it where I couldn't get a missile lock on him so I finally gave up and went after another enemy plane.

"The fire's under control. Automatic extinguisher system activated!" the Co-Pilot cheered.

"If we let this get away, they're gonna court-martial us," A Yuke admonished.

"We'll be all right. They'll take care of us," The Transport Captain assured. "We'll be okay with these people. Let's leave it to them!"

"That was close!" A Yuke exhaled as if he'd just had a harrowing experience.

I circled around, trying to find some planes to shoot down. It wasn't hard finding one. All of us had lapsed into silence. The transport captain had started talking a lot again and it was rather annoying. I mean, it had always been annoying but still…

"Hey, hey, get back in your seat. Don't approach the… hey, hey, what're you doing?!" The Transport Captain insisted angrily. I heard the sound of someone moaning and gasping in pain. What the hell had just happened?

"What the hell is going on? Are you all right? Is everything okay?" Blaze demanded anxiously.

"Hey! It's Dutch rolling!" Chopper pointed out.

"Uh, this is transport plane…uh… Mother Goose One. The Captain's been shot," a voice announced solemnly.

Silence. I didn't recognize the voice; it was someone I didn't recognize. It certainly wasn't the pilot or co-pilot. And how could the captain be shot? No weapons were allowed on the plane except by crew members and I doubt that any of the crew had shot the captain. I mean, he is kind of an important person to have on a plane. I mean, he is kind of the only person who can handle the plane besides the co-pilot. Wait! What happened to the Co-Pilot?

"…What?" Chopper asked dazedly.

"There was a spy in the crew. Uh oh, two of the engines have shut down," the guy explained, sounding eerily calm.

"Hey! What kinda cargo you got in there? Is it something dangerous?"

Silence.

"Hey! You there?" Chopper prodded.

"The Captain's dead and the Co-pilot was wounded by a stray bullet," the man replied. "Tommy's holding the stick now. But he's just a secretary… he's never piloted a plane before."

"So who're you?" Chopper inquired.

"I…I guess you would call me… the cargo on this plane. Could you tell me how to control this thing? I'll relay everything to him."

"Nagase, you know what to do. I'm going to scout the area to find some more enemy planes, if there are any left," Blaze commanded. Her plane, which had been flying next to me after all the enemies within the area had been shot down, veered to the left. Chopper's plane followed. Grimm stayed with me.

"Roger," I replied. Then, turning my attention to the transport plane, I ordered, "Lower your altitude. Prepare for emergency landing. Put your flaps down. That'll lower your airspeed. Can you find the flap lever?"

A short period of silence ensued after my instructions. I was about to say more but the "Cargo" spoke. I knew who the Cargo was but I didn't want to say anything that might give away who he really was.

"Flap lever… is that it? No, that one, Tommy. Pull that one," Cargo instructed.

More enemy spikes appeared on my radar but they were far away. However, they could obviously tell we had taken air superiority because one shouted, "We can't go on!"

"Let's pull out," his partner agreed.

"An emergency landing? The ground's full of electric generator windmills," Chopper scrutinized.

"It's our only option," Blaze said firmly although she didn't sound that thrilled about it.

"Could you shoot those down for us?" Cargo requested somewhat shyly.

"Yes, sir," Blaze replied.

"Let's do it," I encouraged.

"Whaat?" Chopper sounded perplexed and dubious.

"We've got no other choice," I stated dismally.

"Nagase's right Chopper. We must destroy those windmills," Blaze said.

"You two are either geniuses, or you two have lost it. I'm hoping it's not the latter of the two," Chopper muttered.

"Okay, let's do it. Are you still there, Ma'am? With the lovely voice? Uh, Miss…" Cargo trailed off.

"First Lieutenant Kei Nagase… Sir."

"Ahh, and a lovely name as well."

"And I'm Chopper!" Chopper chirped.

"That's a… good name, too," Cargo answered, sounding somewhat baffled. I had to try not to burst out laughing because the "Cargo" obviously had no idea what to think of Chopper. Chopper obviously didn't catch on. He really is blonde sometimes.

"I like you man!" Chopper declared.

"Um, sorry about him. He's a bit… spontaneous. I'm Blaze by the way, leader of this squadron."

"It's very nice to meet you Blaze. You're a great squadron leader."

"Thank you sir. I really appreciate you saying that, especially coming from someone as important as you."

So Blaze knew who he was as well.

"I'm Grimm by the way; callsign Archer, but you can call me Grimm."

"It's nice to meet you too, Grimm. Tommy's going to try landing now. He's doing his best, but he's never done this before. I… I don't know if we'll make it, so I just want to thank you before we go," Cargo told us sincerely.

"You'll be okay!" Grimm comforted.

"Trust us and you'll do fine. I have my confidence in you," Blaze said.

"Yes, you'll do fine," I said. I was getting a headache from the stress this mission was causing. I was going to take a nice long nap when I got back to base.

"Tommy, those broken windmills will be our guideposts," Cargo instructed.

The four of us were circling dangerously close to the ground, searching for windmills we needed to shoot down. The brown ground zipped underneath my plane too close for comfort. I pulled up a little bit. The windmills were massive and they provided a lot of power to Osea so I wanted to make sure I destroyed only the ones that needed to be.

"These windmills are huge, but they're still a hard target from up here!" Grimm noted.

"Concentrate, you'll be okay," Blaze urged.

"This is gonna be difficult. I have to aim carefully."

"Almost there. You're doing great, Tommy. Those pilots ought to recruit you."

"Hurry up. I don't think that transport plane's gonna wait for us," Chopper pointed out before adding, "This job's starting to wear me out a little."

"It's because we haven't stopped for the past few days. Trust me, when I get back to base, I'm crashing," Blaze said.

"I'm with you on that Blaze," Chopper agreed.

"With so how?" Grimm queried.

"Grimm!" Blaze chastised.

"I'm not sure yet Grimm," Chopper admitted.

"Chopper!" Blaze scolded.

"Kidding Blaze."

"Why do I get the feeling you weren't kidding at all?"

"Because I wasn't."

"Chopper!" He only laughed.

That was one of the weirdest conversations I had ever heard. For one, never in a million years did I think Grimm would say something like that. Two, I really didn't want to hear what I had just heard. Geez!

Anyways, most of the windmills had been destroyed so now it was up to the transport plane to do the rest while we told them what to do.

"They're gonna be in for a pretty hard landing," Chopper said.

"Thank you, Mister Sunshine," I snapped.

"Altitude 100 feet. Almost there, I think," Cargo mused.

"Mother Goose One, just keep going," I told them encouragingly.

"That's a pretty good runway there. A fine place for a landing," Cargo decided light-heartedly. He sounded so hopeful that I almost believed that they would most definitely make it in one piece.

"That's a pretty good emergency landing, I'd say," Chopper said.

"I agree," Blaze added.

"This is Archer. Surrounding airspace is clear of enemy aircraft. Everything is A-OK."

"For once, we have good news," Blaze responded with a breathy laugh.

I watched from above as Mother Goose One landed smoothly onto our makeshift runway.

**Mission Accomplished**

"Mother Goose One, landing confirmed," I said.

"That was perfect! Great job!" Blaze exclaimed.

We regrouped into our regular formation: Blaze in front, I on her left, Chopper on her right and Grimm behind her. I looked down to see a small column of black smoke billowing up towards the sky. It was from the tip of the plane's wing.

"Are you all right, Mr. Cargo?" I asked.

"Uh, yeah, I guess. That was a pretty smooth ride, actually," Cargo admitted, sounding surprised.

"Mr. Cargo, I've got a question I'd like to ask you."

"What is it?"

"The bird of peace… did you really have to use that beautiful white bird for this war? Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Cargo hesitated only for a brief second. "Yeah."

"I wanted to see your… your bridge of peace span into outer space."

"It's still possible. Thanks to the bird, we're on even terms now. I'm trying to get to North Point because I believe we have a chance."

"To hold talks in neutral territory," I guessed.

"Right. Communication is vital."

"So I can still believe in you then? I don't want to see any more young men or women lose their lives."

"Me neither." He sounded like he genuinely meant it.

"What's going on? I'm confused. What are we talking about?" Chopper inquired.

"Chopper… I'll explain later," Blaze told him. She sounded troubled.

"You'll have to explain to me too," Grimm said.

"You two are hopeless," I joked lightly.

"Uh-oh. I'm out of fuel," Chopper announced.

"This is the Osean Air Force 8492nd Squadron." I could see the 8492nd Squadron in the distance. I was glad reinforcements had arrived. I was exhausted from what just happened. I had never helped in an emergency landing so this was a first time for me and it was not easy in the least. "We observed the emergency landing on our radar. Can you see us?"

"We can see you," Blaze confirmed.

"You can leave the rest to us. We'll provide support until the transport plane's crew is rescued."

"Roger, 8492nd. Take care of them for us," I told them.

"Sure thing," the 8492nd captain assured.

The four of us broke to the right and headed back to base, back to our beds that were ready for us to fall asleep in. On the way back to base, the briefer debriefed us. "We've received a sitrep from Central Command. The crew onboard the transport plane you encountered during your patrol has been rescued by the 8492nd Squadron. That is currently all the information we have."

* * *

**Chopper**

All of us stumbled to our rooms. I had my arm around Blaze. She was probably the most tired of all of us.

"Good night, Blaze," I kissed her on the lips and she kissed me back. I opened the door for her, shut it behind her, went to my room, and stumbled into my bed, instantly falling asleep when my head hit the pillow.

* * *

**Genette**

After my article, _The Four Wings of Sand Island_, was published to wide acclaim, I grew bolder. I had a profile view on my camera of the Base Commander, the emperor of this base. The Base Commander, Orson Perrault, looked at me with a little turn of his head, and Hamilton pushed my camera rather gruffly out of the way.

"Don't," He commanded. "He's in a bad mood today. If he catches you, he'll have your head!"

"What happened?" I inquired curiously as I filmed Hamilton walking away. He raised his arms to gesture he didn't know and the casualty of the gesture made it seem like the Base Commander's mood swings were a daily occurrence.

I turned my camera off and decided to go to the lounge where I was hoping to get a nice cup of coffee. Nagase was there and I sat down next to my new girlfriend. I still loved that term.

"The Arkbird…" She said.

"Huh?" I asked brilliantly.

"The white bird in outer space," She lifted her pen as she said this, pointing towards the sky. "With Yuktobania outclassing us in firepower, it was the President's one trump card in the peace negotiations. And now… it's fallen right out of our hands."

"So you're saying we don't know how long this war will drag on?" I replied. Nagase bowed her head and after saying goodbye, I went to my room and sat on the couch, thinking.

The Arkbird: a super weapon capable of attacking from space, far beyond the reach of the enemy. Its power generator was destroyed by explosives planted inside a supply shipment from Earth. Once again, the balance of power has tipped towards Yuktobania.

* * *

**Please review!**


	10. Lit Fuse

**(October 30, 2012 update: Format change from script to dialogue form. Enjoy the story!)**

* * *

Chapter 9: Lit Fuse

**Chopper**

The past ten days had been relatively uneventful since HQ was planning a counterattack on Yuktobania. Because of that, we pilots could just sit back and relax until we were called to fight.

* * *

**November 1, 2010…**

I woke up pretty early, considering how tired I had been the night before. I had been catching up on some much needed sleep. None of us had been on any sorties so that was what we were all doing. I lay back down and tried to fall back asleep when a knocking on my door made my eyes open again. I stood up and walked over to the door and opened it. Blaze was standing there, her hair looking a little bedraggled, which looked perfect to me. Yeah, I'm so whipped by this girl…

"Morning sleepyhead," Blaze yawned.

"Morning beautiful," I greeted her, pulling her into my room. Blaze laughed in delight and I pulled her into a hug. I kissed her on the lips and I could feel her smiling. On a split-second decision, I deepened the kiss and Blaze wrapped her arms around me. We stood there in a peaceful embrace before she reluctantly pulled away.

"Now, I would love to continue this, but unfortunately, we have to be in the briefing room in five minutes," Blaze whispered against my lips.

"Damn," I chuckled.

"I know right?"

I reluctantly let go of her and then put on my flight suit. We walked hand-in-hand to the briefing room where Genette, Nagase, Grimm, and Cassie were already waiting for us. Nagase and Cassie raised their eyebrows and saw Blaze's hands go to her hair.

We sat down, Blaze next to Nagase.

"Good morning?" Nagase grinned.

"Yeah, very good," Blaze replied with a bashful smile and a slight flush of her face.

The Base Commander stepped into the room and cleared his throat. "Our Army is finally ready to conduct a large-scale counter-attack against Yuktobania. If we succeed, we'll never have to face the humiliation of those Yukes trampling on our homeland again. The goal of this operation is simple… to invade and occupy the Yuktobanian mainland," The Base Commander informed. We turned our heads to the computer.

The briefer… do I even need to say what he did? I think by now we know he clears his throat before he begins a briefing. He should really think of sprucing the briefing up one day. "We're going to conduct a large-scale amphibious assault against Yuktobania on the Bastok Peninsula. This mission will be called 'Operation Footprint.' The landing force will be selected from the 1st and 2nd Osean Army Battalions. They will be divided into four companies- A, B, C, and D- and transported to the area via landing craft. Upon landing, each division will fan out and destroy the enemy bases scattered throughout the area, then rendezvous and reform into a single large force unit to assault the final target, the fortress. The Yuktobanian defense positions along the coast are tightly dug in, and we have concluded that air attacks alone will not be enough to destroy them. Therefore, Operation Footprint will be a synchronized air and ground attack to neutralize these positions. It is critical that you follow the specific targeting instructions of the ground commander to maximize the effects of your attacks. We are expecting poor weather conditions and fierce resistance from the Yuktobanian defense forces. The fortress is protected by pillboxes and a defensive wall. Provide close air support for the ground forces, and get as many soldiers as possible inside."

Operation: Footprint

Location: Bastok Peninsula

Date: 2010/11/01

Time: 1100 Hrs.

"I wish you the best of luck in battle," The Base Commander said. We got up and headed to Hangar A. Blaze chose F-14A's for all of us. They were perfect for this mission: quick, maneuverable, and accurate. Plus, Blaze was OCD about order and neatness and she hated when we had to use different planes because she said it didn't look intimidating in the air. She said intimidation had a lot to do when it came to winning a battle.

Anyways, we hopped in and took off.

The ground was a dark green, probably from all the rain that they receive. It was like a jungle down there. We were above the ocean right now, and the rain was falling at a steady rate, making visibility poor. I could see the outline of the enemy bunkers. Man, were they huge!

"Terry. Got something I need to tell you…" An Osean Scout informed.

"The enemy's right in front of us, Scott. Save it for later!" The guy Terry snapped.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Later, then," Scott replied nonchalantly. For a brief minute, the two of them reminded me of my squadron… well, not _my_ squadron seeing as how it's Blaze's squadron but you know what I mean.

Blaze sped ahead, leaving us in the dust. I chased off after her and she had already started firing on an enemy battery. Her call sign suited her. She was blazing fast in battle.

"The four companies will now land at their designated beach heads. Commence close air support," Thunderhead ordered.

"Commencing close air support. Wardog, engage," Blaze commanded.

"Chopper, engaging."

"Edge, engaging."

"Archer, engaging."

"This is Company D. We're almost at the beach."

"Go. Move forward! You're almost there. That's it! Row! Keep rowing!" I shouted and then muttered to myself, "To hell with this war…"

"I don't know why we're fighting. What caused all this?" Blaze inquired desperately. I agreed with Blaze. I had no idea why we were fighting. I didn't know if it was for land or for pride or because the wife of Yuktobania's Prime Minister left for President Harling (who is single). I wanted to know why we were fighting this damn war.

The ground zipped under my plane and I pulled up to avoid crashing into trees because that would end this day really fast. I had no intentions of crashing, of leaving my squadron, of leaving my family, and of leaving Blaze.

"This is Company A. Landing successful. Deploy the armored vehicles, now!"

When Company A landed, they took an agonizing amount of time getting the armored vehicles to get going, so as _encouragement_ (hope you caught the sarcasm), I yelled, "Move, move! Land already! Hit that beach and start running! There's no time to kiss the ground!

"Are they really storming the beach in this weather?" A Yuke demanded. His voice, for some reason, really creeped me out. I can't explain why; it just did.

"This rain is making it hard to see… Holy crap! There's a plane behind me!" Grimm exclaimed.

"I coming Grimm," Nagase said.

"Pretty good! Keep it up!" The Commander of Company A complimented.

"Commencing fore from range 600," A Yuke announced.

"Landing confirmed. Continue your support. Fly top cover for the armored vehicles," Thunderhead notified. God, so many notifications and information was passing over the mic that I felt like I was a waiter at the busiest restaurant in town.

"This is Company B. Our attack's getting held up by fierce fire from the batteries."

I swerved my plane and went to find the batteries. These batteries were monsters made of steel. The hills were able to protect the batteries if you came in from the wrong way and then you had to circle back around and _then_ shoot, which was a pain. I could see Blaze every once in awhile, zipping dangerously close to the hills. Nagase flew extremely close to a battery, nearly crashing into it. I nearly ran into an enemy helicopter from not paying attention and I swore colorfully.

"Damn! That was too close for my comfort!" I grumped.

"Halt the enemy fire with an airstrike. We'll charge in at the same time!" Company B's Commander instructed.

"Hurry to the designated area and provide close air support. Activate your radar map to check location," Thunderhead said.

"Yes, sir," Blaze answered.

"Is the attack target confirmed, Kid?" I inquired.

"Attack target confirmed."

"Roger. The trick will be to match our timing with the ground forces."

"The enemy is too spread out. We need to disperse to get maximum results."

"I really don't want to Kid, but I guess I will."

"Chopper, listen to Blaze. She knows what she's doing," Nagase assured.

"Captain! Enemy plane on your six! They're firing!" Grimm warned.

"Ah, hell," Blaze mumbled. I whipped my plane around tracked Blaze down, which was pretty hard considering how fast she was moving.

"Chopper! Go help out the ground forces! I'm fine!" Blaze insisted.

"No! I can't lose my captain!"

Not only could I lose my captain, but I couldn't lose the girl I loved.

"The ground forces are advancing! We're doing it!" Grimm said excitedly, almost as if he couldn't believe we were pulling this off. Hell, I couldn't believe we were pulling this off.

"Blaze, break hard left-" Nagase began but Blaze cut her off, swearing colorfully. She had narrowly avoided smashing head on into another plane.

"Blaze!" I shouted.

"I'm fine, I'm okay. Just a little shook up. That'll teach me to pay attention," she joked but I could hear the fear in her voice. Her act didn't work on me.

"Bunkers captured. Thanks for the air support!" One of the Osean Scouts from Company B said cheerfully.

"So the enemy's finally made it to our mainland, huh?" A Yuke growled.

"We've made it to the mainland, surprised?" Blaze countered.

"Show 'em what we're made of!" An Osean Scout of Company A encouraged. But just a few seconds later, the same guy went, "Bunkers opening fire again! Retreat, retreat! We're requesting close air support against the remaining bunkers."

"Grimm, Nagase, go help out the ground forces. Chopper, get this A-hole off of me. He has a freaking damn grudge against me or something."

"Now you're talking Kid. MIG, your butt is so mine! Great balls of fire!" I hollered as I got behind the enemy plane following her. I saw Nagase and Grimm flying low and aiming at the bunkers. They were shooting with deadly accuracy. Managing to get behind the enemy plane trailing Blaze, I shot two missiles at the enemy and hit it.

"Enemy's off your tail Kid," I told her.

"Thanks Motormouth," Blaze replied.

"Thanks- hey!" I objected.

Blaze laughed.

"Where's our orders? Get the Captain!" A Company C Scout insisted.

"Six bunkers remaining," another scout informed.

"Geez, how many bunkers do they have?" Nagase complained.

"Too many," Grimm suggested.

"Amen to that one Grimm," Blaze agreed wholeheartedly.

"All enemies inside the bunkers cleared away! Position secured!" A guy from Company A yelled triumphantly.

"They got us again! They're attacking from the air like last time," A Yuke observed. Wow, wasn't he just a Sherlock Holmes.

"Blaze, air attacks can only silence the bunkers temporarily," Nagase pointed out. "It looks like they can only be destroyed with the aid of the ground forces."

"Looks like it," Blaze concurred.

"This operation is pointless…" I grumbled. It was. I couldn't hold it in anymore. I wondered why of all the bases Osea had, why they chose the Wardog Squadron to execute this mission. "These guys are just gonna storm in, head-on, following orders. That's how war is fought. That's why I hate it."

"How else is there to fight it?" Blaze queried; she sounded sympathetic, as if she knew what was going on through my head. In fact, I'm sure she did. This is Blaze we're talking about. She had me stumped though, so I didn't answer.

"How could the President authorize an escalation of the war like this? This is insane!" I ranted.

"He reduces the defense budget and then escalates the war. It doesn't make any sense," Blaze mused seriously.

"We'll get bogged down in this forever. Hey, that Mr. Cargo guy was the President, right?" I demanded.

"That was the President," Grimm confirmed.

"Man… I thought I could believe in him back then. I had no idea he was such a wuss," I admitted.

"No. He's not," Nagase said firmly.

Silence ensued after that for a while. None of us spoke, all of us thinking about the war in different aspects. Nagase believed in the President and believed that if he had escalated the war like this, he had a good reason. Grimm thought we were missing something. I was missing the whole damn picture. Blaze didn't know why she was fighting. We had never been given a reason on why we were fighting this war and I personally wanted to know. I had a feeling I wasn't the only one who wanted to know either.

"They found us. Fire before they do," A Yuke ordered.

"Damn, it's like they're plowing the ground with bullets!" The guy Terry noted grimly.

"Don't get hit Terry. I still got something I gotta tell you!" The guy Scott reminded.

"I know, I know, messenger boy. You hang in there, too!"

"Be aware of your surroundings, everyone," Company B's Commander said.

"Attention, overhead aircraft, this is the ground forces. Make sure you don't drop any bombs on us!" A Scout admonished, almost in a joking manner.

"I can promise you we won't!" Blaze promised.

"Have faith in us! Geez!" I protested.

"Roger, we trust you."

"A fortress? I didn't learn anything in training about capturing a fortress!" Company C's Commander mulled over.

"I don't think any of us did," Grimm confessed.

"They're going for the pillboxes!" A Yuke warned. "Our communication lines are getting severed at all locations."

"We're going to advance further. We haven't reached the front line yet," Company A's Commander announced.

"We can't penetrate the enemy lines any deeper! It's too dangerous!" A Company A Scout griped.

"Requesting immediate close air support! Take out that large bunker from the air!" A scout from Company D requested.

"Roger, on our way," Blaze responded.

I made my plane go in circles while I tried to find the bunker on my radar. I finally spotted it and turned my plane in that direction. Blaze was already there (no surprise) and Nagase and Grimm were on their way. This bunker was huge! Our ground forces were attempting to blow it up but they weren't having much luck. They _needed _us. I turned my head and saw Nagase dodge a missile.

"Just shut up! All of you. Get back in your seats!" A commander shouted. I couldn't register which company's it was.

"Someone's getting a little short-tempered," Grimm detected.

"I can hear that," Blaze joked.

"I can't imagine having a captain like that. Can you?" Nagase asked.

"After having Blaze as a Captain, I can't imagine anyone else being my captain. Nor would I want anyone else being my captain," I declared.

"I second that," Grimm said.

"Me too," Nagase said.

"Thanks y'all. I'm glad you guys have faith in me," Blaze told us.

"You don't have faith in yourself?" I queried.

"Honestly? No."

"Well, do have faith in yourself because you've gotten us alive from battle countless of times already so you're doing something right," I praised.

"Thanks Chopper."

"The tables have completely turned," A Yuke muttered.

"Kill the lights! They'll spot us!" An Osean shouted.  
"Barrage of gunfire coming from the bunkers! Retreat!" Another Osean yelled.

"First Sergeant, are you familiar with the tactics of capturing fortresses?" The Commander of company C inquired.

"I know you're not talking to me, but hell, I don't think any of us do," I said.

"I certainly don't," Blaze said.

"Maybe we should ask Chuck Norris," I suggested.

"I bet he knows how," Grimm claimed.

"How did Chuck Norris get dragged into all this?" I asked with a laugh.

"Because of the guys and their overactive imaginations. Then again, I wouldn't put it past Chuck Norris to know how to capture a fortress," Blaze acknowledged.

"See! We don't say stuff like that for nothing!" I defended.

"It usually seems that way though," I said.

"Nagase has a point," Blaze agreed.

"Chopper, when I get back to base, I'm going to call up Chuck Norris and ask him how he would capture a fortress," Grimm declared.

"I'll join you," I replied.

"And Blaze and I will film you getting told off by him."

"Sounds like a plan Nagase," Blaze said with a laugh.

"That's just cold you two…" Chopper grunted.

"Are the pilots that sunk the Scinfaxi mixed in there somewhere?" A Yuke inquired angrily. Man if he only knew we were here. I was sort of glad because if the Yukes found out we were here, their efforts to get us out of their territory would be revitalized and that would seriously suck for us.

"Now we're the ones in their crosshairs," Another Yuke noted.

"Yes, we are the pilots that sunk the Scinfaxi, and yes you are in our crosshairs and I know you didn't ask this but yes you're getting on my nerves," Blaze rambled. I laughed because I couldn't agree more with Blaze even though I was really hoping the enemy hadn't heard her because like I said, it would suck for us even though I would be ready to fight (I'm always ready to fight). Her plane was a blur and no one could catch her or stop her. She would be an Ace in the future. I had no doubt in my mind she was going to be an Ace. I just hoped that I would be there to see it.

"Requesting air bombardment!" An Osean shouted fretfully.

"Go, go! You too, Mark!" Company C's Commander barked.

"They're never going to call us losers again!" Company D's Commander shouted with finality.

"Who the hell is he talking about?" Blaze questioned, sounding bored.

"Um, I think he's a bit mental," I suggested.

"Certainly sounds a bit insane," Grimm mused.

"We can't defend this area any longer!" A Yuke yelled.

"We've lost contact with the Captain. Proceed at your own discretion!" A Company C Scout admonished.

"No problem, I wasn't relying on him anyway!" Another C Scout chirped. He sounded way too happy.

"Are we close?" Nagase asked.

"I'm not sure. The visibility plus all the confusing chatter is confusing me!" Grimm groaned.

"Commence counterattack! Don't let anyone get by!" A Yuke growled.

"Don't stop! Keep going, keep going!" Company D's Commander barked.

"Does that idiot Captain realize the bullets don't all come from the front?!" A D Scout demanded sourly. I felt kind of bad for the guys down below. They had some jerk commanders. Those guys kept order by yelling; Blaze kept order by an eerie, calm voice that you knew not to reckon with.

"Uh, this is Company D. I have a favor to ask… could you bomb our monster of a Captain for us?"

Did they really just ask us to bomb their Captain? Blaze hesitated in her answer and I couldn't blame her. "Uh, sorry, but no."

"Hey, I was just kidding…" the guy said cheerfully, although I could hear the embarrassment in his tone. "Psst, Lance! The plan failed! We gotta think of something else!"

"That was a hell of a request," I observed.

"Tell me about it… I hope none of you guys feel that way about me!" Blaze exclaimed.

"Of course we don't! Even if we did, we wouldn't be able to shoot you down anyway," Grimm said.

"Thanks… I think."

"This the Corporal Powers of Company A! Even from above, you can tell we're the best unit, right?!"

"Yeah, of course," Blaze replied. The guy had no idea Blaze was being sarcastic. Why would she be looking at them when she had to worry about enemies from the air _and_ the ground? I wonder how some of these people ever become commanders.

"Yeah! Keep watching, 'cause we're just getting started! Company A, forward!"

"I speak for Company's C and D. The area's secured. Thanks for the air support!"

"No problem, it's our job," Blaze replied nonchalantly.

"It's kinda nice to have friends down below," I admitted.

"Three bunkers remaining," A B scout informed.

"I'm running low on special weapons," Nagase said grimly.

"Me too. Captain, Chopper, how is your special weapons reserves?"

"I've barely used any," I said.

"I have only half of what I started with and Grimm, stop calling me Captain."

"Sorry, it's habit," he apologized sheepishly.

"We can hold our own against their ground forces, but we're helpless against their air support!" A Yuke claimed.

"All right, I'll go first. Follow me!" Company A's Commander barked.

We were almost down. We had downed another bunker. There were two more left. Even from the air, I could see the extensive damage that we had caused. I hoped it wasn't all for nothing. The ground was covered in debris and this time I hoped it wasn't from our Army being blown to smithereens.

"We're advancing? Through that?" A scout from A company said hesitantly.

"What's happening? Report status!" A Yuke ordered harshly.

"We're beating you, that's what's happening!" Blaze piped up.

"It's the enemy! They're closing in on the bunker!" A Yuke replied.

I shot down an enemy I had been trailing for a little while and I yawned. I then realized that I had yawned about ten times in the last minute. I started to see how exhausted I was getting.

"That's a kill!" Thunderhead shouted victoriously.

"I see them. Claymores!" A Yuke ordered.

"Companies C and D will begin their assault after bomb impact from the air strike!"

"Did you know? My older brother's down there," Grimm acknowledged.

"What? You shoulda told me that earlier, you moron! Where is he?" I demanded. I immediately regretted calling him a moron; I hadn't meant to. This war was messing with my temper.

"I don't know. They all look the same."

"Sorry, didn't mean to call you a moron," I apologized.

"Trust me, I know. It's the war. I can't believe some of the stuff I've said the past few missions."

"Yeah, neither can we… I mean like stuff we've all said I mean," Blaze corrected herself.

"Companies A and B currently engaging enemy bunker."

"What's wrong with our Captain? Does he want to get us killed?! Dammit, dammit! That bastard!" The D scout ranted.

"What's happening down there?" Nagase inquired.

"I don't know!" Grimm admitted, angry at the prospect.

"We've eliminated all threats along our route," A Company B notified.

"Roger. We're moving the tanks through," The B Commander responded.

"Whatever you do, don't shoot them down over our forces," A Yuke admonished.

Almost done. We're almost done. It was a mantra now. I kept thinking that, and I could keep continuing to fight. One day, I was going to find out why we were fighting this war.

"Can the Captain see the enemy's position?" A B scout questioned seriously.

"Warning! You're being spiked by enemy radar!" Thunderhead shouted.

"Who is?" I demanded.  
"Blaze!"

"Well hell," Blaze grumped.

No way was I going to let them get her! I hit my afterburners and went behind her six. She flipped out for a moment thinking I was an enemy plane but she figured it out soon enough.

"Artillery fire from the bunkers! Move the vehicles back!" An Osean yelled.

"This is the Captain's last campaign before he retires. Let's make it a good one!" A scout from B company encouraged.

"You can count on it!" Grimm assured.

"That's weird, there shouldn't be any enemy forces there," the C commander noted, sounding hesitant; however, I guess that must not have been too much of a problem for his company because a few seconds later he went, "Yes! This is all according to the textbook. We can do it! Good luck!"

"Yeah, thanks. That was encouragement? I think I'm gonna cry…" A C scout retorted.

"He's following the textbooks to a tee. They'll read every move we make!" Another one pointed out angrily.

"That's it. I'm taking over command!" One declared passionately. So, now there was a rebellion going down among one of the companies. If we wanted to take over this land, we couldn't be arguing among ourselves. How stupid could they be?! Morons! I wasn't sorry this time for calling an ally a moron either this time!

"Is this it? You're sure we're on our correct attack route?" The C Company Commander asked dubiously. He really needed to have more faith in his troops.

"Request new orders! No, not from our Captain, from Company B!" A C scout snapped.

"Just do what you are trained to do, and you can win this!" An A Scout urged.

"I'm aware of your situation. I'm sending tanks your way," Company B's Commander assured. God, why couldn't we have more commanders like him?

"Two bunkers remaining," one of our scouts said.

"We _still_ have two bunkers remaining? Damn!" Nagase groaned.

"Whoa, Nagase knows how to cuss? Hell has now frozen over," Blaze joked.

"Oh shush," Nagase snapped airily.

"We'll be all right now. Continue the advance!" D's Commander ordered.

"All enemies inside the bunkers cleared away! Position secured for C and D!" A scout informed.

"Amazing… I don't think I'll ever be as good as Blaze," Nagase mused. I couldn't agree more with Nagase. Blaze had shot down the most planes, destroyed the most bunkers, and destroyed the most in general.

"Nagase, I couldn't agree with you more," I said.

"Same here," Grimm agreed.

"I'm not that good, trust me. If it weren't for you guys, I wouldn't be here," Blaze protested.

"Yeah you would," I said.

"No I wouldn't."

"Yes you would," Nagase said.

"No I wouldn't!"

"Yes you would. And Blaze? Give up now because it's three against one. We're in a democracy. Majority vote wins. The verdict is that you would be here if you didn't have us."

"You could've been a lawyer Grimm," Blaze muttered.

"I actually studied it."

"Really?"

"No. I just watch a lot of Judge Judy," he joked. That got a laugh out of all of us. It felt good to laugh after wanting to cuss out both sides of this war- the enemy for starting the war and our side for having idiot commanders (excluding B's Commander; that guy was actually pretty bright).

"One bunker remaining," a scout said. Thank god!

"What? Break through that line with our current manpower? That's insane!" A scout from Company C exclaimed. "Those are orders? What, you want me to die?"

"Stupid newbie! This isn't some textbook war game!" Another C scout snapped.

"Allied planes, we're moving into position to attack the last bunker," an Osean soldier told us.

"Roger that," Blaze answered, sounding relieved.

"We're requesting close air support against the remaining bunkers. Let's finish this!"

"Enemy amphibious force has begun advancing!" A Yuke barked. "We're getting surrounded! Dammit!"

I flew towards the last bunker and fired two missiles. They hit the bunker, destroying it. I circled around to attack the other one but focused my attention on the tanks attacking the ground forces.

"We'll go first. Time for 'the usual,'" an A scout said mischievously. I had a feeling I would get along famously with that guy. We both seemed to like sounding mischievous because you have to admit, sounding like that makes people wonder what you're up to.

"Yeah, 'the usual.'"

"Blaze, zero missiles left in reserve," Thunderhead informed.

"Yeah, I know," Blaze mumbled.

"Looks like we can flank them from here. Get the Fifth Platoon to go," the B Commander told his soldiers firmly.

"Dammit, they're coming this way!" A Yuke exclaimed bitterly.

"I knew you guys had it in you! Keep it up!" Company D's Commander encouraged.

"Any word from the recon team yet?" An Osean from B Company inquired.

"I just wanna blow this thing up and go home. This is the worst day ever," I groaned.

"You said it Chopper," Blaze agreed tiredly.

I turned my head around to see what was going on behind me. An enemy plane was trailing Grimm but he was pulling some impressive evasive maneuvers that worked amazingly.

"I'm still okay. I'll give it another shot," Grimm said.

"Be careful, this might be some kind of trap," A Yuke admonished.

"I'm retiring after this, so you'd better not overwork me," Company B's Commander said, slightly droll.

"I'm not sure about this… Conrad, what do you think?" Company C's Commander questioned.

"Captain, I've shot down an enemy plane!" Grimm announced.

"Good! Keep it up! You'll be an Ace one day if you keep it up like this Grimm," Blaze complimented. That right there was encouragement. Not whatever the ground captains were telling there "subjects".

Blaze, Nagase, Grimm, and I came in from four different directions. We fired missiles at the bunkers simultaneously. The bunkers blew up instantly.

**MISSION ACCOMPLISHED  
**

"Attention all forces. All bunkers silenced. We've captured the entire fortress!" A scout cheered.

"Did you copy that, Air Force? We really appreciate all your support," another one praised.

"All right, things are a bit calmer now. What's on your mind? Hey, Scott!" Terry called out.

"Chill out… Dad! Congratulations!" Scott chirped.

"…What?" Terry sounded dumbfounded.

"You've got a bouncing baby boy at home! Hurry up and give her a call!" Scott said amiably.

"It turns out we didn't need Chuck Norris," I mused.

"I still say we give him a call," Grimm said.

"Let's do it!"

"Oh god…" Blaze moaned.

On our flight back, after much arguing with Thunderhead, we convinced him to let the briefer do an in-flight debriefing. "After intense fighting, the landing force captured and secured the fortress target. Thanks to the success of Operation Footprint, we have secured the southeastern coast of Yuktobania. We've decided to make the fortress our fast forward base on Yuktobania as we expand our combat operations inside the country. After we complete construction of our defensive positions, our ground forces will continue their advance to the final target: the capital city of Cinigrad."

* * *

It was only seven in the evening, but we were all exhausted. However, we were forced to stay up to take care or our planes. Pops wasn't around or else he wouldn't have let us check the planes in our condition. We could barely walk a straight line let alone make sure everything was all right with our planes. I'm sure we looked like literal walking zombies.

"Chopper, I have a question?" Genette came ducking underneath my plane.

"Yeah?" I yawned, forcing myself to keep my eyes open.

"When I listen to the chatter during the fights, you'll call Blaze 'Kid' a lot. Why?"

"If you're dating on base, you can't show it in the air. In those instances I call her Kid, if I called her Blaze, everyone would know just how much I love her and we're not allowed to show how much we love someone because that can get you blackmailed and that can put your significant other in danger. I don't want that to happen," I replied truthfully.

"You really do love her, don't you?"

"More than anything. I would die for her," I said quietly. We guiltily peeked around the plane to make sure Blaze wasn't eavesdropping. We didn't have to worry. She was crashed out in her plane.

"Should we wake her up?" Genette whispered.

"Only when we're done here," I answered.

"Someone's tired," Pops familiar voice came behind us. Genette and I turned around to greet him. He was looking at Blaze.

"We're all like that. We're walking zombies," I chuckled tiredly.

"I can see that. They should know better than to have you check on your planes when you're this tired. Listen, wake her up and then go back to your rooms and get some sleep. I'll check on your planes."

"Thanks, Pops. I owe you one," I said.

"I'll go tell Nagase and Grimm," Genette said, turning around. I walked to Blaze's plane and stepped up the ladder.

"Blaze?" I gently shook her awake. She grunted softly in her sleep. I tried not to laugh. "Blaze, you need to wake up."

"Is she not waking up?" Pops asked. I looked down at Pops and shook my head. "Can you carry her?"

"I don't think she would appreciate it that much."

"I have a couch and a blanket down here. Carry her down and put her on the couch. I'll wake her up before I leave."

"Okay, yeah, let's do that." I looked in the plane, figuring out how I was going to get her out of there. Finally, I decided to step into the plane, lift her up, and then very carefully go down the ladder.

Surprisingly, it worked… almost. I was able to get Blaze out of the plane and down the ladder but I had meant to do it without her waking up. That part didn't work out so well. Her eyes shot open and she was quite disoriented for a few seconds. Her eyes came into focus on me.

"Well this is a good wake-up." She smiled weakly. "Here, set me down. Just make sure I don't fall because my leg's asleep."

I put her down and sure enough, her leg was asleep. I had to catch her from falling down.

"Oh, hi Pops!" Blaze waved.

"Hello Blaze. I see it's quite comfy in the plane?" Pops grinned.

"What?" Blaze looked confused.

"You fell asleep in your plane when you were checking on it," Pops explained. Blaze looked horrified.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I was checking the controls and I leaned my head back and I don't even remember falling asleep!" Blaze rambled. Pops laughed.

"It's all right Blaze. Don't worry about it. I thought it was rather funny actually," Pops said. Blaze blushed. "Well, you two go get some sleep. I have a feeling you'll be going on another sortie soon."

Blaze and I nodded and went back to our rooms.

"Good night Blazing Star," I kissed her on the head.

"Blazing Star?" She whispered.

"You're as beautiful and as bright as the blazing stars in the heavens," I smiled.

"Flirt." She smiled. "I like it."

I kissed her one last time on the lips before heading to my room. I shut the door and plopped down on my bed. Blaze was the most amazing girl I had ever met. I was in love with her. _Nothing_ could ever change that.

* * *

**Please review :)**


	11. Blind Spot

**Okay, sorry it took so long to get this chapter up! I've been catching up on rest! By the way, finding facts about the Ace Combat series is not easy so if you have any good ones (that I haven't already used), PM them to me and I will use them along with who gave it to me. Since I can't find any (and trust me, I've tried. I've been looking for half an hour) I'm going to give you a question instead and the first person to get it right will be mentioned somewhere in my story. I'm not sure how but you will. So, here's the question: In **_**Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War**_**, PJ is Cipher's wingmen after Pixy leaves. What do the initials 'PJ' stand for?**

* * *

Chapter 10: Blind Spot

The next morning, I didn't wake up to beautiful Blaze knocking on my door but to Hamilton banging loudly on my door yelling at me to get up.

"Put your flight suit on. You have a briefing in ten minutes," Hamilton informed me. I nodded and shut the door. I looked at the clock on my night stand. Hell, it was five-fifty in the morning but, being in the military, this was normal. I stretched and rubbed my eyes. God, I hate mornings…

I put on my flight suit and walked to the briefing room. I was the first one there. Grimm came a few minutes afterwards, followed by Nagase, then Genette, the Cassie, and last but not least, Blaze.

"Hey Blaze," I said with a tired smile. She smiled weakly back. Mornings weren't the best for her either.

"Here," She said, handing me a cup of tea. She had one too. "Three spoonfuls of sugar and lots and lots of cream."

"Just the way I like it," I said. I took a sip and it was freaking amazing. "Thanks, Blaze."

"We're gonna need it," She said. I nodded in agreement. The lights in the room dimmed and the computer screen turned on. The bright light in the practically pitch black room is murder on your eyes when you've just woken up and you're not a morning person. The briefer gave his usual clear of the throat. "The Yuktobanian force that defended the Bastok Peninsula is staging a large-scale withdrawal from the area. After analyzing the situation, we have determined that they are pulling back the force to regroup their defense network and strengthen their capital defenses. Yuktobania's southern armies sustained heavy damage during our landing operation, and their defensive war power has weakened considerably. Their current withdrawal is currently proceeding under the curtain of a set of electronic jamming signals. The enemy's air forces consist primarily of transport planes. Pursue these planes, destroy them, and halt their retreat."

Operation: Hammerblow

Location: Dresdene

Date: 2010/11/02

Time: 0600 Hours

The computer screen shut off and the lights turned back on. I squinted in the bright light and walked out of the room into the easier, soft blue of the predawn light. The air was kind of chilly and I was glad my flight suit blocked out the cold wind blowing. The moon was still visible, so was a star or two.

The four of us walked into the hangar and Blaze started choosing our planes. Blaze chose the F14-A for all of us. I could understand why. It was a fighter, not a multirole or attacker. It had SAAM as its special weapon and they were great special weapons because they locked on to your target and usually, as long as you kept your target in a certain area in front of you, the SAAM would usually hit it and destroy it the first time. The F14-A was also Blaze's favorite plane.

We put on our helmets and got into our planes. We headed to the runway, took off, and headed to Yuktobania.

When we reached Dresdene, we had some fun skimming the cliffs of the mountains. You see, Dresdene is a _very_ mountainous area. The caps of the mountains already had snow on them. While they weren't that high, they were still very jagged and if we were shot down here, that would end our day really quick. Not to mention it's flipping freezing outside and so we would have to battle that too. Geez! Time for some random question.

"Hey, hey, hey, Kid. Did you take a listen to that song?!" I asked.

"What song?"

"_Back of the Coin_."

"No, I didn't. Why?"

"You didn't listen to it? _Back of the Coin_ is a masterpiece!" I exclaimed

Blaze laughed. "All right! I'll check it out when we get back to base."

I spotted the first enemy in the distance. I didn't need to worry about it though. Blaze had already sped off and engaged it. She was way ahead of us in both flying skill and distance wise. The three of us, meaning me, Nagase, and Grimm, had a lot of catching up to do in both sectors.

"Wardog, engage!" Blaze ordered.

"Archer, engaging!"

"Edge, engaging!"

I went after an enemy and suddenly remembered I had to tell everyone I was engaging.

"Whoops! Chopper, engaging!"

"I was wondering when you were going to say something," Blaze mused.

"Eh, sorry, blonde moment," I replied.

"You tend to have a lot of those," Nagase commented amusedly. I was too tired to come up with a witty response.

"Due to current circumstance, we have been forced to set foot on Yuktobania with weapons in hand," Commander Howell announced. What was Howell doing over the mic? In case you've forgotten, Howell was the general who helped capture the fortress in mission Lit Fuse. God, I hated that mission! Anyways, what was he doing over the mic? "However, our true enemy here is the Yuktobanian military who started this unjust war."

I couldn't agree more to that one. It _was_ Yuktobania's fault that we were at war here.

"Transport squadron undetected. No problems yet," an enemy pilot said.

"Roger. Maintain current heading," another Yuke answered.

I got behind an enemy transport plane and started firing at it. The damn thing wouldn't go down until I finally realized it would be better to shoot a missile at it. Man I'm dumb sometimes. I wonder from time to time how I ever made it through my school years with how many times I've made some dumb moves. Hopefully, one of my dumb moves won't ever cost me my life because that would just be _peachy_ now wouldn't it?… I can't believe I just said peachy…

"No stragglers. Don't leave anybody behind," A Yuke captain ordered.

I looked at my radar to see how many planes we had to shoot down…

What the hell?! I counted twenty new hits on my radar and I know that wasn't right. There weren't supposed to be that many! There was supposed to be like… eight! _Maybe_ ten! Certainly not freaking _thirty-something_!

"Unbelievable!" Nagase groaned.

"This is insane!" Blaze exclaimed.

"We gotta bag all these planes?" I demanded.

"The strange thing is, the hits I see on my radar, I can't see them in real life. This isn't right…" said Blaze.

"You think every enemy plane in the area is up and flying?" Grimm queried.

"Well, let's ask 'em. Hey, how many planes you got there?… Man, this is makin' me cry," I grumbled.

"You? _Cry_?"

"It's a figure of speech Blaze. I never cry… well, unless an animal dies in a movie."

"Me too! And then I yell at the screen whenever a hot guy dies… which I realize is in every movie almost. Look at _The Outsiders._ Dallas was smokin' and he just _has_ to get shot. Then there's _Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief_. Luke was drop-dead gorgeous and they had to kill him! He wasn't supposed to die! At least not until the fifth book!"

"Hey! I actually know those movies! Well, for one, I was with you every time we yelled at the screen for killing off the cute guy. What other movie kills off a hot guy? Well, this is a book but Heath Luck from the _House of Night _series? They kill him off and he was so dang hot!" Nagase added.

"I know!"

"Blaze, Nagase, you do know they're just movies… right?" I pointed out.

"Yes, that doesn't make it any better though," Blaze retorted.

"Girls…" Grimm muttered. So, after listening to Blaze and Nagase rant on about how hot guys are always dying in movies and books, I decided to change the subject. However, I had a feeling that the two of them would somehow find a way to tie in hot guys. These two girls had a knack for doing that and when Cassie got involved, holy shitake without the 'ake'. They talk at a hundred miles an hour without stopping for a breath of air. It was insane when those girls got together. You couldn't even follow what they were talking about they talked and changed the topic so fast.

Well, moving on from _my_ rant. Blaze was after another transport plane after she shot down one (using missiles because she actually thought to use them unlike me) and after shooting down an enemy fighter. Grimm was trailing an enemy fighter that kept trying to go after Nagase and I could tell he was getting pissed off by the way he was muttering to himself over the mic. It was pretty funny in my opinion. Nagase was flying after fighters to protect Blaze and I while we shot down transport planes. Yeah, we always had a plan. I bet people from Sapin would say that the goddess Athena is on our side and has given us the knowledge of wisdom and battle strategy. I say that it's good teamwork and a whole load of luck and a really amazing captain.

"Report from Bjely. Picking up something on radar," an enemy pilot informed.

"There's way too many signatures on my radar. Kid, Nagase, how about you guys?"

"You're not the only one Chopper, believe me. This isn't normal! We weren't briefed on this!" Blaze replied.

"My radar is showing strange results as well. Something's going on," Nagase commented.

"Noooo… Really?" I answered.

"Oh shut up Chopper," Nagase snapped.

"Sorry, but no."

"Hey, uh, you don't think…" Grimm began hesitantly.

"Does the enemy have a tally-ho on us yet?" An enemy pilot queried.

"Aha… I think I've figured it out," Grimm said to himself.

"Well, do share your keen insights, will you please?" I replied sarcastically. "What's up?"

"What's wrong Grimm? What is all this?" Blaze sounded a hell of a lot calmer (and nicer) than I did. I think she knew that if she sounded freaked out, the rest of us would get freaked out. My girlfriend is really, really smart.

"First Lieutenant Blaze and First Lieutenant Chopper, Jammer aircraft," Grimm informed.

"Of course! How could I be so stupid?!" Blaze scolded herself. I don't know what she meant by that statement because she was one of the smartest people I know when it came to war strategies and techniques to evade and whatnot. If she didn't know what was going on, you knew right then and there that the trick was really, beyond belief good.

"So it's… a trick?" I guessed cautiously. Hey, even if these were my friends, I still didn't want to be wrong, you know?

I flew above Blaze while we continued hunting for our next victim.

"That's exactly what this is Chopper," Nagase confirmed.

"How could this be? Our new jamming devices were supposed to be perfect," A Yuke squadron leader claimed furiously.

"Well, it's obviously not perfect seeing that we know what it is and that we can destroy this," Blaze pointed out as she climbed to a slightly higher altitude to be level with me.

I knew there was something going on here!… Okay, no, I didn't but hey, I thought it was strange so give me some credit. Now we had to find the jammer aircraft so then the blips that represented aircraft that aren't really there will disappear. Now where are those damn jammers?

Okay, I feel better now. Ghosts aren't so bad once you figure out the trick behind 'em," I said.

"Where are the jammers? They've got to be somewhere close. Let's take care of them first," Nagase insisted.

"We do that, and all these ghost planes will disappear off our radar. Nagase, Grimm, you two go shoot down the remaining transport planes. Chopper and I will find the jammers."

"Roger," Nagase answered.

"Wilco," Grimm responded.

"Why do you say 'Wilco'?" I asked.

"To annoy you."

"Oh, well it's not working." Actually, it was and Grimm (the little smarty pants that he is) probably knew that.

"Yes it is," Grimm retorted.

Yep, he knew.

"No it's not," I protested.

"You're a bad liar Chopper."

"I'll settle this. Chopper, it's annoying you, admit it," Blaze ordered.

"Dude, even Blaze agrees with me," Grimm said superiorly.

"And Grimm, don't brag," Blaze said before adding, "even though it's true."

"Blaze, you're supposed to be on my side," I whined.

"Says who?"

I paused before saying, "… The man?"

"Who's the man?"

"Me!" I declared triumphantly.

She laughed. "You're may be my man, but you're not _the_ man!"

"And I'm strangely okay with that."

"Don't let the jamming confuse you. Repeat, don't let the enemy's jamming confuse you," Thunderhead commanded. It's a bit late to say that you Dunderhead. Yes, I just called him Dunderhead. No, I don't care that I just called him that. For one, I'm not the only person who calls him that. A lot of people on base call him that, but we never say it to his face. One day, I bet someone's going to slip up and call him that to his face. I wondered what he'd do to them.

I was broken out of thoughts when I nearly flew into a jammer. Only thanks to a quick maneuver was I able to not crash into it. The bright side of that, the jammer would've been gone. The dark side, there would be no more Chopper and I personally like being alive thank you very much.

"Concentrate on shooting down the enemy jammer aircraft. The transport can wait," Thunderhead added. Did he not realize we had already engaged the jammer aircraft? Do you see _now_ why we call him Dunderhead? We also called him Thunder Block-head once in a while too.

"We wish to work hand-in-hand, harmoniously, with the citizens of Yuktobania for this operation," Howell informed. What operation? Was he on crack? Because it certainly sounded like it. "I've instructed our soldiers to follow this wish to the letter."

"What the hell is Howell talking about?" Blaze inquired heatedly.

"That's what I'm wondering. What operation is he talking about?" I asked.

Blaze and I, after many close calls of crashing into the jammer craft, we shot _that_ one down.

"The enemy radar blips disappeared. Several of them at once," informed Nagase. Her statement was music to my ears.

"We definitely need to finish off the rest of those jammers… I see one. I'm going to shoot it down," Grimm announced. Blaze gave him permission and he hit his afterburners, going after a jammer far off in the distance to our left.

"Dammit! Our cover's blown!" A Yuke growled.

"No friendly IFF squawk. Confirmed enemy aircraft approaching," another one noted.

"I feel like having fun with this transport plane below me," I said nonchalantly.

"Chopper…" Blaze began.

"I'll be back." I went above the transport plane below me and went upside down so that I could see into the cockpit. The pilots looked at me and even I could tell they were surprised. I lifted my hand and flipped them off. After a few seconds of recovering from shock, they flipped me off back. I lifted both my hands in fist form and shook them as if I had won a great victory. I think they thought I was mental like that actor from _Two and a Half Men_? (He says "duh! Winning!" and everyone thinks he's insane… which he is). What's his name again?

"This Osean pilot just flipped us off," the Yuke Transport Captain said.

"What did you do?" One of his counterparts asked.

"We flipped him off back."

"What did he do?"

"He raised his fists and shook them, but like he won something, not like he was mad."

"Are you fighting Charlie Sheen?"

Charlie Sheen! That's who it is! He really is mental although he's brilliant on the TV show.

"Chopper, it's not good that you're being compared to Charlie Sheen. Just saying…" Blaze mentioned.

"Well, at least I have most of my brain cells. Charlie lost most of his," I snapped airily.

"Very true. At least Chopper's not going around saying "Duh! Winning!"

"Not yet anyways…" I chuckled mischievously.

"Oh no… Nagase, you shouldn't have said anything," groaned Grimm.

"Ah crap. Now he's going to," Nagase muttered.

"No, I only come up with original stuff. That line's taken already," I declared.

"Thank God," Blaze said amusedly.

I got behind yet another enemy transport plane and this time I was smart enough to use my missiles. The plane went down and I went up because an enemy had a missile lock on me and I had to evade it. I did a complete loop and got behind the fighter. Was he stupid? Obviously, because he didn't try to evade me until after I had fired the missile. The missile hit his left engine and he went down. Blaze was speeding after a new enemy fighter after she had shot down two already.

"They're retreating together like one big happy family," I joked before adding, "Damn, this is the biggest withdrawal in history."

"This isn't normal!" Blaze exclaimed.

"Therefore, I ask you, citizens of Yuktobania: Do not fear us, but rather join us in…" Howell finished. This dude really needed to shut the hell up. No way were the citizens of Yuktobania going to turn on their own country! No freaking way! They may not like that they're fighting but that doesn't mean that they're going to turn on their own country. What was wrong with General Howell?

"Hey, you think it's gonna be that easy?" I asked, knowing full well what the answer was going to be.

"No. I don't think it will be easy at all," Blaze answered exactly like I thought she would.

"I know, me neither."

"Fox Two!" Nagase shouted, firing at a jammer plane.

"Shack on the target!" Thunderhead notified.

"Nice shot Nagase!" Blaze complimented.

"Thanks!"

I saw Blaze do a rolling turn and she ended up behind an enemy transport plane. She fired and hit it smack dab in the middle. The plane fell to the ground in a fiery mass. She's so good at this.

"The Captain shot down a bandit!" Grimm informed cheerfully.

"What else is new?" I joked.

"I know right?" he laughed.

"Bandit shot down!" Thunderhead interjected.

"Nice shot Grimm!" Blaze praised.

"Thank you Captain."

"Grimm?"

"Yes?"

"Stop calling me Captain."

"Sorry, Blaze. It's been burned into me that you always call your captain, well, Captain."

"I know; they did that to me too. Fine, you can call me Captain if you want to."

"I'll call you both because then we're both happy," Grimm decided.

"Sounds good Grimm."

At that moment, Grimm and I nearly crashed head on because we were both after the same enemy transport plane and we had both shot it down and we had both been so preoccupied with seeing it fall that we didn't see _each other_. It was only because Blaze and Nagase yelled at us to watch out that we were able to avoid the other.

Those enemy jammer aircraft were a pain in the ass. First of all, they went too slow and you had to slow way down to shoot it down. Second, and you already know this one, is it made 'ghosts' appear on our radar. At least it wasn't messing up our radio.

"… enemy… jamming waves… interference." Thunderhead's sentence had been fragmented because of the jamming waves. I just had to say something…

"This is the Eighty-Four-Ninety-Second leader. All Eighty-Four-Ninety-Second units, proceed as planned."

"Dammit… even out radio's… can't…" I said but even I knew that my statement had been chopped up into bits and pieces.

"Heads up! …. us!" A Yuke yelled frantically. You didn't need to be a super genius to figure out what they were saying.

"Hey, Kid, yo… th…. pre… n the Air…?" I asked, not realizing my transmission had been cut up.

"Um…. Yeeaah," Blaze lied, acting as if she'd understood what I'd said.

"Yeah, I agr…. tely Na… Heh….." I laughed my head off until Grimm said, "It's….. jam…!"

His transmission had been butchered as well but it was easy to figure out. No wonder Blaze sounded unsure when she answered. I bet she didn't understand a word of what I said! Wow I feel dumb. Of course the damn radio's jammed too. Along with some mysterious squadron that called themselves the Eighty-Four-Ninety-Second . Who were they? God! This mission was messed up! And why did that name sound familiar? I pushed the thought out of my mind and focused on the enemy planes swarming me and Blaze like little bees trying to sting their next victim. The mysterious air squadron could wait.

"ECCM! Restore communication link!" Thunderhead commanded frenetically.

"The Osean planes are firing on a school packed with civilians! They're at the engineering college!" A Yuke cried out.

"Did I hear what I think I just heard?!" Blaze demanded.

"I think so," Grimm answered.

"Whoever's violating orders, cease fire immediately!" Thunderhead barked furiously.

"What idiot's doing that?" I asked in annoyance. That was the last thing we needed, some moron firing on innocent civilians. That's not allowed!

"Attention, units operating in sector Charlie Omega! Attacks on civilians are forbidden!" Thunderhead shouted.

"That's right near us," Grimm commented.

"Isn't that…" Blaze started.

"Hell, that's where we're supposed to be operating. You see those idiots anywhere?" I said.

"No, they must be at the opposite end of our sector," Blaze responded solemnly.

"I'm no joy. I don't see a thing and my radar's clean, too," Grimm added.

"This is Edge. I'm not showing any aircraft like that either. Are you sure?  
Who the _hell_ was stupid enough to attack civilians?! That was one of the first things you learned in school. You never, _ever_, engage in an attack on civilians unless they engage you first. And if they did engage you, you were taught to disarm them and neutralize them as a threat.

"Multiple casualties! Get an ambulance over here fast!" A Yuke called out anxiously.

"Dammit! The Osean bastards!" Another one growled.

"This is Thunderhead. Wardog, did you engage in an attack on a civilian facility?"

"No sir. We would never do that. We know better," Blaze told him. I could hear the slightly rankled tone in her voice. It was obvious to me she didn't like being accused of attacking civilians.

"Roger. So you're sure you didn't do this."

"Why would we do that? Weren't you watching from up there?" I grunted.

"Do they really believe that we would attack civilians after all this time? We have had plenty of opportunities. If we were going to attack civilians, we would've done it already," Grimm pointed out.

"High Command needs someone to blame this on. We are in the wrong place at the wrong time," Nagase said bitterly.

This day couldn't get any worse, could it? First, I wake up to Hamilton and that's a nightmare itself because he has never liked me ever since I set foot on the base. Second, we get 'ghosts' on our radar. Third, we find out we have jamming aircraft and so not only do we have to shoot transport planes but we have to find the jamming aircraft and shoot them down as well. Geez, this really, really sucked.

"Don't' break formation. Your primary mission is to escort the transports," A Yuke insisted.

"So we're just gonna watch them die?" Another one roared.

"This is what I hate about war! No matter who starts it, it always comes to this!" I exclaimed angrily.

"Lies and deception…" Blaze said softly.

"Their radar's back online!" A Yuke pilot announced.

"What?! We're totally exposed flying like this!" his counterpart observed in horror.

"Calm down. It just means now we're on equal footing."

"All jammers were shot down!" his counterpart notified in shock. Did they just notice that? If so, these guys were stupid because Nagase and Grimm had shot those things down a while ago.

"Damn, our cover's totally blown!" A Yuke complained.

"Buran Squadron, split and engage the enemy fighters," Another one ordered. "Molniya Squadron, stay close and continue your escort mission."

"Chopper, you and I will engage the fighters. Nagase, Grimm, keep shooting down the targets."

Blaze and I went head on with an enemy squadron four versus two.

"Chopper, switch to special weapons and fire at the two planes simultaneously," she commanded. I did as told and switched to special weapons and fired one SAAM at one plane and another SAAM at another. I kept the two planes within view and the SAAM's hit both of them. Blaze's SAAM's hit the two planes she had targeted as well and a whole squadron was wiped out by the two of us.

"Don't worry. It's just one more thing we have to take care of, is all," an enemy assured calmly.

"We let them get this far inland?" a different one asked, incensed. "This is our sky. Don't let them barge in here!"

"Too late for that one dudes!" Grimm chirped victoriously.

"All but two enemy fighters shot down and all jammers are shot down!" Nagase observed happily.

"Yes! Now we just have to shoot down those transport planes. Crap, they're way ahead of us. We need to get to them fast! Floor it people!" Blaze urged.

The four of us got in formation and shot towards the transport planes. They were so far ahead we couldn't even see them. After a few seconds of us going Mach 1, we could see the planes.

I got behind an enemy transport plane and fired.

"Shack on the target!" Thunderhead said.

"Get out of there! What are you doing?!" A Yuke Transport asked irately.

"We're gonna burn up the engines. This is as fast as it gets," a second transport captain told him.

"We can't hold them off for long!" An enemy squadron pilot ranted.

"Don't panic. We're still okay," his captain consoled.

"Chopper, have you heard _Always Look on the Bright Side of Life_ by Monty Python?" Blaze questioned innocently.

"Yes! Monty Python is brilliant!"

"Some of those lyrics fit our current situation. You agree?" Grimm queried.

"Yes! Seriously!" I replied enthusiastically.

"Wilco!"

"Grimm!"

"Muhahaha!"

"That sounded demonic…" Blaze observed.

"Just a bit…" Nagase agreed.

Just a couple more transport planes left. Blaze zipped past me and fired a missile at a transport plane. The missile skimmed the top of the plane.

I finished it off with a SAAM and it left two more transport planes. Where was the closest one? I couldn't find it. I saw it on my radar but I couldn't see it outside. Then I happened to see something glint in the sunlight above me and I could make out the shape of the last transport plane. Of course, two other planes were already there. It was Blaze and Nagase. They fired two missiles at the same time and while Blaze's missile hit, Nagase's didn't.

"Dang it!" Nagase mumbled.

"That's a mountain range down below us. Even if you eject, you won't survive," an enemy squad pilot said grimly.

"Fox Two!" Nagase said.

"Shack on the target! Nice shot Nagase!" Blaze told her.

"Thanks Blaze!"

I did a 180 degree turn and went to engage the last two transport planes. I went head on with them. I got within range to fire a missile at one of them and so that's what I did. Of course, my missile had to miss. I got behind it and shot two missiles at the plane to up the chance of hitting it. My plan worked. Both missiles hit the plane and it was destroyed. One left.

I went to engage the last plane to find it already gone. Destroyed by Blaze.

**Mission Accomplished**

"Bandit down!" Thunderhead notified. "Last plane confirmed shot down. All enemy transports and jammers in the local air space have been eliminated."

We flew back home in formation. We kept up a constant stream of chatter so that was like, three hours. We made a quick stop at General Howell's camp so we could use the bathroom because it had, uh, been a while. When we were done, we got back in our planes and flew back to Sand Island. When we neared Sand Island, the briefer came onto the mic: "We have succeeded in halting the Yuktobanian army's airborne withdrawal from the Bastok Peninsula. However, a Yuktobanian civilian complex, an engineering university, has been attacked. The attack occurred in an area within operating range of the Sand Island Squadron. Sand Island air crew will report to Central Command headquarters in the Osean capital of Oured immediately."

When we landed on base, the base superiors treated us coldly. They didn't believe us when we said we weren't the ones that had engaged the civilian complex. No matter how much we insisted it wasn't us, they still didn't believe us. In fact, everyone on base was treating us coldly. Except for Genette and Cassie of course; they believed us. They were the only ones.

* * *

**Genette**

General Howell, Supreme Commander of the Osean Armies deployed to Yuktobania, successfully stormed the enemy beach and established a command center on the spot. The General, who claims to have been given full operational authority by the President, then made the following declaration: "We will march forward and we will not lay down our arms until the Yuktobanian capital has fallen."

* * *

**November 3, 2010, 0500 Hours…**

I woke up early that morning to see if there was any chance I could tag along and get a ride to Oured along with Blaze, Chopper, Nagase, and Grimm. Cassie wanted to come too but because of her RIO training, she was prohibited. However, I was free to go as long as I kept my mouth shut about everything that had been happening on Sand Island and I had to be with one of the Sand Island Squadron members at all times. It sounded easy enough. So at five thirty, I was ready with my bag packed. Blaze came out with Chopper and Nagase. Grimm was the last one to come. He was probably saying goodbye to Cassie. Cassie had been upset that she couldn't go with us but Grimm talked to her and said that they would be back soon. Of course, none of us knew if that was going to happen or not but we unanimously decided against telling her that.

When Grimm finally came out, we boarded the plane and headed to Osea.

* * *

**Blaze**

I sat down next to Chopper after I boarded the plane. Genette was on the other side of me with Nagase and Grimm. The way the plane was set up was two seats on one side and three seats on the other.

I settled my head on my shoulder and closed my eyes.

"Hey, Blaze." Chopper nudged me. I opened my eyes and looked at him. "You can use my shoulder for a pillow if you want to."

I smiled and without hesitation, leaned my head on his shoulder. I could feel him smiling. It took me a little while to fall asleep, and I know this will sound strange, but it's because I don't like take-off. At least when I'm not the person taking off. I also don't like taking off in big planes. I always think it's not going to make it up. I mean, if you think about it, a plane that weighs tons and tons shouldn't be able to fly. It makes no sense.

Chopper's head had slowly ended up on mine and he was sacked out. I gently threaded my arm through his and after a while, I fell asleep.

* * *

**Nagase**

Blaze and Chopper were already asleep, Blaze's head resting on Chopper's shoulder and Chopper's head resting on Blaze's head. Grimm looked sad, and I bet you anything it had to do with Cassie.

"You okay Grimm?" I asked.

"Yeah, tired and mad," Grimm replied.

"Why?"

"I'm mad that they couldn't spare Cassie a couple of days to come to Oured with us. She's at the top of her class. You'd think they'd cut her _some_ slack."

"I'm sorry Grimm," I said. I felt bad for him. All of us except him had our significant other. I could imagine he felt a little left out.

"Hey, Nagase, I'm gonna catch some sleep. I didn't get much last night," Genette said.

"Go ahead, hun," I said. I turned back to Grimm but he was out like a light. With a small smile, I rested my head on Genette's shoulder and fell asleep.

* * *

We were all woken up when the captain of the plane announced that we were about to land. Well, almost all of us. Grimm and Blaze were still out. Genette and I poked Grimm to wake him up. He wouldn't wake up so we shook him a little. That didn't work either so we tried tickling him which worked a little _too _well! Grimm flipped out and if it hadn't been for lightning fast reflexes, Grimm would've punched me in the face. Accidentally, of course. Chopper was still trying to wake up Blaze. She had always been a heavy sleeper.

"Try tickling her," Genette suggested with a grin. Chopper poked Blaze on her side and Blaze threw the pillow she had been holding onto at us. Not Chopper, but me and Nagase. Then she shifted so that her eyes were covered by the crook in Chopper's neck. Chopper looked at us and stifled a laugh.

"Blaze, you need to wake up. Blaze?" Chopper shook her a little and finally, Blaze woke up.

"Well, good morning sleeping beauty," Genette laughed.

"How the hell can you be so cheery in the morning?" Blaze grumbled.

"Well, if you saw what we were doing to try and wake up and Grimm up, you would know why."

"Uh, guys, Grimm fell back asleep," Blaze announced. We all looked at Grimm and sure enough, he was asleep.

"He's almost as bad as you Blaze," Genette said with a sly smile.

"Ha ha, very funny Genette." Blaze smirked at her older brother.

"Should we hit him?" Chopper suggested.

"I heard that," Grimm mumbled. We all chuckled. Grimm lifted his head and gave us the death look.

Five more minutes went by before the plane bounced onto the runway. We all lifted a few inches off of our seats from the impact. After taxiing and grabbing our bags, we got into the car that had been waiting for us. It was a big black suburban. It wasn't your stereotypical government SUV. There was a big guy with black sunglasses on, a black suit, and an ear piece in his ear. A guy that looked just like that guy was sitting in the back. That's not stereotypical at all now is it?

"Call me Nelson. Which one of you is Genette?" The guy in the front seat asked.

"I am," Genette replied.

"You're sitting up front with me. Blaze and Edge, you're sitting in the back with Gleeson," Nelson said. Chopper bit his lip to stop himself from asking why he couldn't sit next to Blaze. "Chopper and Archer, you're sitting in the middle."

All of us nodded as we took our assigned seats. Blaze took the middle seat between me and Gleeson. One, she could talk to Chopper, and two, Genette could see me in his passenger visor or whatever that thing is called. He would look at me and I would nod, letting him know everything was all right.

The car arrived at the hotel and we were escorted to our rooms.

"Now, you must stay here. We gave you adjoining rooms so you can talk freely with each other. You're lucky. Most pilots don't get that luxury and some end up sleeping on the floor. It's only because of your records that this is happening. Second, you're not allowed to leave the room. Order room service for food. Three, we will pick you up tomorrow at 0830 hours sharp so don't be late."

"Yes, sir," We replied.

"Good day. Now, if you do try and leave, we'll know," Nelson warned us. We said yes sir again and he left. We shut the door and Grimm, Genette, and Chopper went to their room through the adjoining room. Blaze and I had our own room. We were silent while we changed into some different clothes, more casual clothes. I went into the bathroom to change and when I came out, Blaze was changed too. It was then that I realized she and I had the same exact outfit on.

"I swear to God we have a telepathic thing going on," Blaze laughed as she looked at our outfits. We both had on dark flare jeans and our Powderpuff jerseys from when we were in our senior year at high school. I was number fifteen because I had been in love with this NFL player named Tim Tebow. Blaze was number seven because she had always loved that number. Someone knocked on our adjoining door so Blaze and I knew it was one of the guys when I went to open it. Grimm was at the door.

"Hey you two. Want to watch a movie with us?" Grimm asked.

"What movie is it?" Blaze asked.

"_Fast and Furious_, the first one."

"I'm in!" Blaze exclaimed as she scrambled through the doorway. I was right behind her. Along with fighter jets, I loved fast driving. Blaze and I both. Plus, Paul Walker and Vin Diesel are in the movie and there's some eye candy right there people. We all settled on the bed, each of us squished. It went, from left to right, Chopper, Blaze, Grimm, me, and Genette. The bed wasn't that big so it took a while to get everyone on it and in a comfortable position. Grimm, who was in charge of the remote, hit play and we settled in and watched the movie.

We ended up watching about four movies that day. There was nothing else to do besides watch movies and sleep so we decided to watch movies. So after we had a _Rush Hour _marathon, Blaze and I decided to go to our rooms when the clock hit nine because she and I both had to take a shower and blow-dry our hair. She and I got into our pajamas and we were disappointed when we found out we weren't wearing anything remotely alike.

"Nagase, what time did that grouchy Nelson guy say he was picking us up?" Blaze queried.

"I have no clue. Let's ask the guys," I said. Blaze knocked on the door.

"Come on in," Grimm's muffled voice said. Blaze and I walked in and stopped short. All three guys were on the floor doing push-ups and as Blaze would put it, "Hot damn!" All of them had very defined eight packs. Not four packs, not six packs, eight packs! I couldn't help but look at Genette. He was drop-dead gorgeous. The three of them sat on the back of their legs.

"What's up?" Genette asked. I looked at Blaze and she looked at me.

"Um, what, uh, what time did that, uh, Nelson person say he was gonna, um, pick us up?" Blaze stammered. Genette looked amused, Chopper looked worried.

"You feel okay Blaze?" Chopper inquired getting up.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Blaze said, looking a little flustered. It was only then that Chopper figured out why she couldn't say anything. He smiled, grabbed his shirt and put it on.

"Did you have to do that?" Blaze asked, jokingly sad.

"If he didn't, you wouldn't be able to put sentences together," Genette said.

"Oh, shut up. I would've been able to sooner or later," Blaze retorted.

"It would be the latter one." Genette laughed. I tried not to but a small giggle escaped so I bit my lips.

"All right Mr. Smartass, that's enough. So what time is Nelson going to pick us up?"

"He said 0830 hours," Grimm answered.

"Thanks Grimm," Blaze and I said at the same time.

"Night girls," Chopper said.

"Night y'all," Blaze replied. She and I went into our rooms and when we shut the door, we fell onto our beds and cracked up. We went into hysterics. I literally couldn't breathe I was laughing so hard. The boys came in to check on us and when we saw them, Blaze and I looked at each other and laughed even harder. They looked at us like we had gone insane. They carefully shut the door, leaving us two girls to our maniacal laughing fit.

Blaze and I woke up at seven so we would have enough time to get ready. We got into our military outfits. Neither of us liked them that much. They were just so plain and boring. It was a navy skirt with a plain white shirt with badges representing your status as an officer. We walked out of our room and went downstairs. The guys were already there and compared to us, they looked sharp in their outfits; even Genette was in one, but that was because he had witnessed the transmissions from the battle or something like that but I didn't get why he had to wear the same thing we did. And, I might be in the military, and you'd think I'd be used to seeing men in uniform, but no matter what, I will always be a sucker for a man in uniform. They're ten times hotter when they are.

Sure enough, at eight-thirty on the dot, Nelson and Gleeson were there, ready to pick us up. We got in our seats from last time and went to the middle of Osea to the court where we would be interrogated of a crime we didn't commit.

* * *

**Genette**

**November 4, 2010, 0850 Hours…**

Oured, the Osean capital. The winds of war have yet to reach here. The air still smells of peace.

We reached the court in silence. I, for some reason, had been allowed to go but had been forced to wear a military outfit the same as Chopper and Grimm (go figure). My sister looked nervous. I could imagine why. Captains were put under a lot of scrutiny in trials. She was afraid. For once her life, I could actually tell she was afraid.

When we reached the capital, the five of us walked up the steps, flanked by Nelson in the front and Gleeson in the back. The inside of the court was beautiful. Elegant wood banisters lined the stands where Grimm, my sister, Chopper, and Nagase would stand and be interrogated. I noticed that Chopper was unusually quiet. I guess he even knew that this was a bad situation.

I took my seat and the commander came in soon afterwards. He started by having Blaze, Chopper, Nagase, and Grimm swear an oath to say the truth and nothing but the truth. Then he started retelling what happened on the second of November.

"What do you have to say for yourselves?" The commander inquired gruffly.

"That wasn't us," Blaze said.

"Then who was it?" The commander sneered.

"We don't know. We were on the opposite end of the Charlie Omega sector when the attack occurred. We do know that whoever it was that was attacking the city called themselves the Eighty-Four-Ninety-Second Squadron."

"We already looked into that and there is not squadron in our military with that number," The commander said sharply. "So why did you attack a civilian complex?"

"But that wasn't us," Nagase said. "By the time we got there, they had already-" Nagase began.

"That's right. We heard them over the radio. They called themselves the Eighty-Four-Ninety-Second Squadron…" Grimm explained, but he was cut off by the commander.

"Eighty-Four-Ninety-Two, Eighty-Four-Ninety-Two. Is that all you people have to say?" The commander shouted. Grimm bowed his head and curled his hand into a fist. "There is no squadron in our military with that number."

Chopper pounded his fist on the railing. "Dammit! What the hell's goin' in here?" He shouted throwing his hands up.

An alarm sounded through the court. The commander whipped out his phone and called someone. All I heard was a lot of shouting.

"The Yuktobanian military has decided to launch an attack. As a result, we're going to have to request that you 'flying aces' take off for us. Which mission do you want? Yeah, that's right. We have more than one attack to deal with right now," The commander said gravely. He pulled a coin out of his pocket. "Let's use this to decide."

The commander flipped the coin.

* * *

**Okay. So did you like? Hate it? Let me know! Please review! And don't forget to answer the question! Bye!**


	12. Reprisal

**Hey y'all! All right, after much contemplation, I have decided to just write chapters for two of the mission instead of all four. One, it's way too much writing for me because I'm working on three other stories besides this one so it might take me a while to update. **

**Now, the first person to answer the question from the last chapter was Pokefanficwriter92. The correct answer, which all of you got, was Patrick James. So, Pokefanficwriter92's character is Ivan Tronsicslav, so be looking for him in the story! **

**So, with the help of my pillow pet Ronnie (yes, I named my pillow pet) and my zebra print snuggie, I am able to say I wrote this chapter in around six hours total. **

**Next question, what is the name of the company that resides in the Belkan territory that Osea controls?**

**Enjoy and please review!**

* * *

Chapter 11: Reprisal

**Grimm**

The coin landed on the tails side.

"All right, you're mission is to neutralize the gas that has been deployed in Bana City by what is believed to be Yuktobanian terrorists," The commander said. He dismissed us and we took the SUV, once again driven by Nelson, and to Ellington Field, where we would be assigned aircraft and instructed on our mission.

The car ride to the base was surprisingly short, not that I minded. Nelson had a way of making all situations very awkward. Even Chopper was silent and that's unheard of (literally).

When we pulled up to the base, we were escorted by a man named Ivan Tronsicslav. He was tall, about six foot, and he looked very young with dark brown hair, very blue eyes, and a peach colored fuzzy thing as his moustache, which made me wonder if he was a true brunette. I wondered what part of Osea he was from because he was pretty tanned and had a slight accent that I couldn't quite place. He must've been from the coast where they had all the beaches (Osea has awesome beaches!). I noticed that he had a scar on his right arm but I had been taught that you don't ask scar stories until you're considered friends with the person.

"Hello," Ivan said. "How are you today?"

"Um, we've had better days," Blaze replied. "How has your day been?"

"Rough," Ivan said.

"Would you mind me asking why?" Blaze inquired.

"I'm a defector from the Yuktobanian Air Force. I didn't like the missions that they were going to have me do so I defected and came to fight for Osea," Ivan explained. We were all pretty shocked by that.

"I see," Blaze said. We didn't really talk the rest of the way to the hangar. From there, we were introduced to a different base official, who assigned us our planes, which were MIR-2000's. They were equipped with neutralizers instead of missiles, although we still had our guns working so that was okay. Then after that, we went to the briefing room.

Unlike our briefer at home, this one didn't clear his throat before he began the briefing so I would've paid no attention because I wouldn't have known it had started had Nagase not nudged me to pay attention. "A group believed to be a Yuktobanian commando force has carried out a terrorist attack with chemical weapons. The site of the attack is the college town of Bana, located to the south of Oured. Plumes of nerve gas are currently billowing out from several locations around the city. We must neutralize the gas from the air as quickly as possible. Capital District Air Command will provide specialized aircraft equipped to deploy canisters containing a neutralizing agent. Drop the neutralizing agent from the air over the smoke from the gas plumes. Keep the gas from spreading further around the city."

Operation: Wisdom

Location: Bana City

Date: 2010/11/04

Time: 1124 Hours

We got in the planes and took off towards Bana City. It wasn't long before we were there and we could see the Bana City skyline. Bana City was cool. I had been there a few times when I was younger because I had lived nearby. The buildings were all really old and they all seemed like they were haunted. However, I think that because I have an overactive imagination. Anyways, long story short, Bana City is awesome.

"I can't believe we flipped a coin for this damn mission. This isn't funny, man," Chopper grumbled in annoyance.

"Seriously, why couldn't we choose the mission?" Blaze demanded.

"That's what I'm thinking!" he exclaimed.

"It's our telepathic communication right there."

I started seeing yellow plumes of gas rise up from various locations in Bana City. They were tall plumes too. They were taller than most of the buildings, and a lot of those buildings are twenty stories high. I felt horrible for the people down below. It must be nerve-wracking to be down there… and I just said nerve-wracking when there's nerve gas down there… no pun was intended there and I feel horrible that that came out of my mouth… okay, I'll stop.

"Okay. Once you've reached the airspace over the city, drop the neutralizer bombs. Make good use of them," A Central Air Command man informed.

"Roger. Gee, thanks for the step-by-step instruction, there," Chopper replied sarcastically.

"Chopper, don't get into it with them. We're in enough trouble as it is for something we didn't do," Blaze admonished.

"First Lieutenant Davenport? We've heard from the front lines that you like to shoot your mouth off on the radio," The CAC man commented. Damn. Chopper sure knew how to piss everyone off. How _did_ he do it?

"Uhh, Davenport is too busy carrying out his mission to answer you at this time, Sir."

"That was an answer," The CAC guy pointed out.

"No it wasn't," Chopper replied.

"Yes it was!"

"No it wasn't. I never gave you a reason why I shoot my mouth off on the radio which I really don't shoot my mouth on the radio, I just speak really quickly and make jokes and people misinterpret things and they don't get my sense of humor and some of them have no sense of humor and so then they get all uppity and offended and then they tell bad things about me to other people and then those people go off yakking about what those people told them and those people think they know me by what other people tell them and that's just biased just like many of the people in politics and those guys just get me all riled up ask any of my friends but then again most of my friends are all spread out over Osea and so you would have a hell of a time finding them."

There was silence on the radio for a few seconds before "… What the hell are you talking about?"

"Just ignore him. You won't win with him," Blaze told the CAC man.

"Did you get any of that?" he queried.

"We all did, but that's because we're with him all the time and-" Nagase began.

"He can go on and on and on and on without taking a breath," I finished.

"I really hope y'all are defending me," Chopper said warily.

"We wouldn't do anything else," Blaze answered with a laugh.

Blaze, Chopper, Nagase, and I split up and had each taken up sectors of Bana City. Blaze and Chopper were taking the west bank and Nagase and I were taking the east bank.

This mission was surprisingly hard, but that was because we couldn't use our radars to find the gas and we also had to avoid smashing into buildings. That would end our day really quick. I personally don't plan on crashing anytime soon.

"Our radar won't help us to target the gas. We'll have to rely on our eyes," Nagase notified. I realized then how much we had relied on our radars right then. This was going to be hell trying to find all the gas. At least it was a bright color so it was relatively easy to see.

"Great… At least I'm not old and senile," Chopper mused.

"Why?" Blaze questioned.

"Because then my eyesight would be bad and I wouldn't know where to shoot the neutralizers."

"Charlie 11, isn't today your daughter's birthday?" Patrol Car Seven queried.

"Well, I couldn't just sit around and do nothing! Let's take care of this so I can go home, okay?"

I flew down low and fired a neutralizer. It hit the area that the gas had risen up from and it neutralized the gas. I looked around and caught glimpses of Blaze and Chopper weaving between the buildings on the other side. Nagase went under me and I went back to neutralizing the gas.

Then a thought struck me. My cousin Hannah Yates went to college here! I suddenly felt sick to my stomach.

"Grimm, you okay?" Blaze inquired gently.

I realized that my plane was flying straight to nowhere in particular.

"No, not really," I admitted.

"What's wrong, Grimm?" She sounded genuinely worried about me and I was grateful for that.

"My cousin, she goes to college in Bana. I think she's down there," I explained.

"I'm so sorry Grimm!" Nagase exclaimed.

"Thanks, Nagase."

"What's your cousin's name?" Blaze asked.  
"Hannah Yates."

"Central Air Command, I need you to find out if a Hannah Yates is in Bana City right now," Blaze ordered.

"Blaze, we cannot do that unless it has something to do with the mission," CAC replied.

"Unless you want Bana City neutralized before the end of today, I suggest you go and find out if a Hannah Yates is in Bana City right now," Blaze threatened. I couldn't believe Blaze was telling off Central Air Command after everything that happened today. Apparently though, she had some influence because they said okay, even though they sounded pissed off that they were being told what to do by Blaze. Blaze had guts if she's standing up for me to Central Air Command.

"There is no Hannah Yates in Bana City at the current time. She got a flight out yesterday to go to Miramar," CAC told her huffily.

"Thank you. Are you okay now Grimm?" She queried kindly.

"Yes, thank you Blaze. I really appreciate it."

"Only Blaze would have enough guts to jeopardize a mission to find information like that," Chopper commented with a bellow.

"Hey, that's what they get for choosing our mission with a damn coin," Blaze declared.

I got my head back in the game and started shooting the neutralizers again. I was trying really hard to get more than Blaze, Chopper, and Nagase because I owed it to them for being such a worry wart about my cousin.

"I don't know our release point. Where is it?" Chopper inquired.

"But you've been neutralizing the gas," Blaze observed.

"They were lucky shots. I've been guessing on where need to shoot."

"Well, just… keep doing what you're doing because it's working."

I went high up and did a loop in the air and then went back down and shot a neutralizer at a plume of gas. I hadn't been able to get it from when I was lower because it was trapped between four buildings so I had one option there, shoot the neutralizer and crash into a building. That was an option I wasn't going to do because I would really like to see Cassie again and I don't want to see her at my funeral, you know?

"An unidentified gas has just been detected in districts near the west and east banks of Bana City," A reported announced.

"They already have news helicopters? That's crazy, man," Chopper said.

"The technology of the age. The better not get too close though because if that nerve gas affects them, they're going to be in trouble," Blaze noted.

"You said it," Nagase agreed.

"As you can see, the gas is drifting up from various locations all over the city!" The reporter added. "This is shocking footage being broadcast exclusively here on this news station…"

I could see the news helicopter high up in the sky, or at least as high as they could go without going in the clouds. To me, these people were morons. If that nerve gas reached their helicopter, it would affect all of them and then they wouldn't be able to control that helicopter and we would be dealing with something besides gas.

"Even from here we can clearly see the stream of people evacuating the area!" The reporter said.

"They better not get any closer…" Blaze trailed off.

"Yeah, they seriously need to be careful," Chopper added.

"The bustling energy that used to fill these city streets has been replaced by confusion and fear!" The reporter exclaimed. Okay, it was a good line, but the way the guy said it, he made it sound corny, like a bad punch line in a joke.

We were half way through with extinguishing the gas. I was kind of worried about the nerve gas seeping into my plane because I hadn't checked the chemical-weapon test results. That was kind of worrisome.

"I hope the seal on my canopy's all right. Did anyone see the chemical-weapon test results on this thing?" Chopper asked no one in particular. I swear that Blaze, Nagase, Chopper and I have some kind of squadron telepathy thing going on because I'll be thinking about something and then one of them will say something pertaining to what I was thinking about… weird…

"I was seriously just thinking about that!" I told him with mock awe.

"There's only one explanation for that… We're telepathic!" Chopper claimed.

"The planes passed with flying colors!" Blaze said before bursting into a giggling fit.

"Seriously Blaze? "Flying colors?" Nagase queried in amusement. I heard Chopper laughing over the radio, even Nagase was. I had to admit that it was pretty funny considering how corny it was so I laughed, too.

"So I have a question?" Blaze said.

"Yes." Chopper responded.

"I didn't even ask the question," she pointed out.

"I know. I've just always wanted to say that."

"My question _is_ how did these terrorists get a hold of these chemical-weapons?"

"Only a great hatred could drive them to do something like this," Nagase said.

"That must be some hate. We aren't the ones who even started this damn war!"

"Blaze, what lies at the root of this attack is hatred itself."

The gas was rapidly decreasing and I counted around two or three more plumes we had to neutralize. Thank god. Flying this close to tall buildings was giving me a panic attack and a headache. I couldn't wait to get back to base and go to bed… wait! The six of us, me, Cassie, Chopper, Nagase, Genette, and Blaze, got to take a few days off and go back home soon! Man, I couldn't wait to see my family! And better yet, my brother was coming home at the same time so I could see him, too! I hardly ever see him since we're both in the military and all. I could see all my old friends and I could eat my mom's meals which are out of this world! I'm already counting down the days…

"Well, we've just received some new information…" A new reporter started. "The Air Force has begun spreading a neutralizing agent to counter the poisonous gas."

"Have they seriously just noticed that we're here?" Chopper demanded in an annoyed shock.

"News stations have always either been late to tell us something or they're wrong in their answer. The weather for instance: they tell us it's sunny and it's an all-day thunderstorm," Blaze replied.

"I wonder if they purposely do that considering how wrong they always are," Nagase said.

"You know it wouldn't surprise me if you were right Nagase," I told her.

"Unfortunately, we can't get any closer to the ground, due to the danger posed by the gas…" the original reporter explained.

"They need to be extremely careful…" Nagase murmured.

"You said it," Blaze concurred.

"We can see people on rooftops calling for help but there's nothing we can do from up here!" the reporter proclaimed sadly.

I was flying near the top of a building and that's when I saw them. There were about twenty people waving at me. I couldn't do anything to help them, at least with me being in a plane. The only way I could help these people would be to neutralize the gas as quickly as possible.

"Incredible… this is almost like watching a movie!" The reporter said in awe.

I saw Chopper shoot a neutralizer at a gas plume and the gas plume start to evaporate. I looked around and didn't see any more gas plumes. Thank God.

"There it goes… Alright, lemme see how it looks down there," Chopper decided.

"Evacuating is going fine as well. Everyone's beginning to calm down," a patrol car told us.

"All gas neutralized," Blaze notified.

"This is Charlie 11. The east bank's free of gas along with the west bank. Way to go, pilots."

"You're very welcome, sir," Blaze replied respectfully.

"City Police HQ, 10-4. All other districts clear. City is completely free of gas. We really appreciate the Air Force for doing this."

I was glad to help out. Now maybe High Command will believe that we would never attack a civilian complex… but they're all stuck up there and they always think they're right so we probably won't be let off the hook. They need to get whatever stick is up their butt out.

"Mission failed! The gas has been completely neutralized," A terrorist hissed.

"Kedar team to Sudayev team. We're sending in a helicopter for support," A Yuke responded.

"Sorry you have to do this," the terrorist said, sounding genuinely upset (not that I cared if he was upset or not).

Then I realized the radio was picking up the terrorist's voices! Holy crap! God I'm oblivious. It took me two minutes to notice that. It's a wonder I'm still alive with how long it takes me to notice things like that, seriously. I amaze myself sometimes.

"Ah, hold it, stand by… The terrorists are escaping with the chemical weapons in a truck," City Police HQ announced. "All units, close on that area."

So now it was up to the police to capture them. Hopefully the enemy didn't send fighters or anything like that because we wouldn't be able to defend the city if that happened… correction, Nagase, Chopper, and I wouldn't be able to. Blaze would though because she's badass like that.

"Suspect proceeding south on Route 22," City Police HQ informed.

"Hey, let's go watch," Chopper urged.

"You can. I've about had enough of weaving in between these buildings," Blaze mumbled.

"I'm with you on that one Blaze," I said.

"I want to see," Nagase joined in. She and Chopper flew down low while Blaze and I flew higher up so that we wouldn't crash into any buildings. However, I still looked for the terrorist's truck. I spotted it near, well, I can't really say building, now can I? Seeing as how there are tons and tons of buildings here. Okay, so I spotted it with a police car trailing closely behind it.

"This Baker 7. Now on Route 22."

"10-4. Uh, listen, pilots. Uh, sorry to trouble you, but out patrolmen aren't exactly trained to fight in wars. Do you think you could help them out from the air?" City Police HQ requested, sounding rather sheepish.

"Yes, sir. And it's no trouble at all; it's our job, sir," Blaze pointed out.

"This is Capital Air Command. Is that really necessary?"

Could these guys, like… stay out our business for once? Let us do what we're supposed to?

"Well, if you could dispatch some MPs to the scene, that'd be fine, too," the City Police HQ told them. I laughed a but because that hadn't answered the question at all.

"This is Baker 7. We've spotted the truck."

"Didn't they spot it a long time ago?" Chopper queried suspiciously.

"Yeah, they did," Blaze said.

I saw the truck crash into one of the smaller buildings and then keep on going. I wondered if the building was okay. I didn't care about the terrorists. They deserved to be injured in that because they were attacking my country. I have no sympathy for people who attack my country. I know that sounds cold but it's how I feel.

"The airport is under attack from enemy commandos," CAC proclaimed.

What? Okay, two questions here. The first one being how the hell did the enemy get into the airport without us knowing? With all the security we have at Osean airports, it's an amazing feat to do that so I unfortunately give the Yukes credit for being damn smart. My second question is: doesn't commando mean naked? So were the Yukes running around the airport naked?

"Doesn't commando mean to go…?" I left the question hanging.

"Yes and no. The first one is a military unit that participates in dangerous raids. The one you're thinking of is running around naked. The latter of the two paints a more colorful and humorous image," Chopper said with a hint of hilarity in his tone so I knew he had been thinking the same thing as me.

"But the latter one isn't the one that the CAC is talking about," Blaze said.

"I like to think it's the latter one I said. It keeps life interesting," Chopper acknowledged.

"Okay, I'll admit, I thought that's what they meant, too," she admitted.

"You guys have a warped mind…" Nagase muttered.

"Don't tell me you weren't thinking what we were thinking when they said commandos," Chopper protested.

"… No, I wasn't, but it did come to mind _later_."

"You have a warped mind too because you still thought of it."

"Chopper has a point on this one, Nagase," I said.

"I… oh never mind," Nagase said.

That was a seriously weird conversation and I had to agree with Nagase, we did have warped minds. However, I also agreed with Chopper. Our warped minds created the most unusual and funny conversations I've ever had.

"You're kidding!" City Police HQ exclaimed.

"Yeah, we've got our hands full here, too. Wardog Squadron, you are ordered to assist the local authorities," CAC commanded.

"Yes, sir," Blaze replied.

"We appreciate your help," the City Police HQ expressed sincerely.

"Did you hear that?! They said the airport was attacked at the same time!" I observed in amazement.

"I knew they had attacked the airport but I didn't know it was the same time they released the gas," Blaze said thoughtfully.

"Charlie 11 here. We found the truck but they launched a grenade at us. No injuries… just hit a mailbox on the curb. They got away in the confusion."

"Roger. Pilots, see if you can find the terrorist's truck from up there. Don't let them escape," City Police HQ ordered.

"Roger that. We'll take care of it," Chopper casually responded, maneuvering his plane so that he was heading straight for the terrorist truck.

"Hold on. I don't need you fighters to fire on them or anything."

"Not even just a little?" he wrangled.

"No!" The CAC barked furiously.

"C'mon guys, really…" City Police HQ said nonchalantly.

I was laughing at Chopper because I heard him mumbling to himself over the radio. Again I say that he has a way of pissing off almost everyone he meets. He even pissed Blaze off once, well, technically. Of course, most of the people he pissed off had no sense of humor and it was usually when Chopper made a joke that he got in trouble. I wonder how he ever got onto Sand Island with his record…

"Did you hear that, Captain? They say we can't shoot 'em!" Chopper said.

"Yes, I did," Blaze answered. She sounded exhausted and I think the CAC guys were wearing her out. Who knows, maybe that was their goal, to wear her out so much that she'd just admit to attacking the city even though we didn't do it just to get them to shut up about it.

I'm way too cynical…

"I know. I was just kidding," Chopper obviously lied.

"Sure you were Chopper," Nagase joked. I immediately imagined him sticking his tongue out at her.

"We've gotta lighten the load!" The terrorists suddenly shouted.

"Charlie 11, I don't see your car on the navigator display. What's going on?" Baker 7 demanded.

"I'm in the parking garage under Dalem Street. I think I can cut them off!"

"Geez man, calm down. Do you realize where you're driving?!"Baker shouted.

"Are you talking to me?" Charlie 11 inquired curiously.

"No, the guy driving the car I'm in," Baker 7 mumbled.

Must be a rookie driving the car.

"This just in! At the Apito International Airport, an armed group, believed to be Yuktobanians, began…" a reporter began, this time it was a woman; she sounded relatively young. I really wished that the radio would stop getting cut off because I wanted to know what was happening at the airport!

"Charlie 11, you're off the main road! Where are you going?" Baker 7 questioned fretfully.

"This is Charlie 11. I'm taking a shortcut through Hastarl Park."

"What?! Hey, isn't that against the law?"

Great, so now the local authorities are breaking the law when we're in the air so that looks bad on our records. Why are we _always_ in the wrong place at the wrong time? I think it's turning into a habit for us.

"We are hearing large explosions and gunfire from Apito International Airport at this very moment!" The woman reporter exclaimed.

"I hate to say it but I'm glad we got this mission instead of the airport one," Blaze admitted solemnly.

"I know, me too," Chopper said.

"According to military sources, this attack is very likely the work of Yuktobanian terrorists…" the reporter continued. Damn radio went out again causing me to mumble to myself which made Chopper make a smartass comment to me about me needing to go see a psychiatrist about my imaginary friend.

The four of us flew in formation above the city, keeping our eyes on the truck, and waiting for our next orders.

"I found the truck!… Dammit, they're shooting at us!" Charlie 11 grunted.

"Charlie 11, fall back! Wait for backup!" Baker 7 commanded.

"Don't worry Baker 7, I'll pump enough lead into the truck to stop 'em!"

"Kedar team, can we rendezvous at Apito International Airport?" the terrorist truck queried.

"That'll be tough. The airport's surrounded by the enemy," Kedar replied. "Hold on. We're coming for you."

"Sudayev team to helicopter. The enemy planes are fighters. Be careful," the terrorist said. So their name was Sudayev. That made it easier for me to understand who was talking. At least the enemy was warning them about us because that meant that we had a shot at beating the idiots.

"Roger, Sudayev team. We'll approach from low altitude."

"The helicopter's going to cross over us near Marvin Bridge," Sudayev said.

"Dammit, I can't get near the truck! I'm at Marvin Bridge!" another patrol car, one I hadn't heard until this moment, said. "All units in pursuit, proceed at once to Marvin Bridge. Seal off all surrounding areas. Hurry!"

These people talked… a lot. Why couldn't they give orders in one radio transmissions instead of multiple ones? I guess I'm so used to Blaze giving all the directions in one saying that it annoys me when people do it differently.

I got a hit on my radar and realized it was an enemy helicopter, probably here to pick up the terrorists.

"This is Capital District Air Command. The enemy forces at the airport have sent a helicopter in you direction. Be careful."

"We've got a visual on the helicopter already. Next time, tell us sooner," Chopper retorted.

"We are surrounded by idiots," Blaze muttered.

"This Baker 7. We're surrounding the area but that's a military helicopter."

Blaze had already pulled up ahead (as usual) with Chopper right behind her (as usual) and they fired their guns at the enemy helicopter. It exploded. I guess I should explain why they didn't use missiles. See, the reason is that we weren't equipped with missiles. I think I told you that earlier but I'm telling you again now in case you forgot.

"We don't have anything that can go up against it," Bake 7 noted, sounding irritated.

"Fighters, shoot down the helicopter for us," City Police HQ ordered.

"That's what I've been waiting for. Let's go!" Chopper urged happily.

"Yes, sir, Captain Chopper! And I think he means 'helicopters' and not 'helicopter' seeing as how there is more than one helicopter," Blaze pointed out.

"Target acquired… hey, isn't that a Yuktobanian attack helicopter?!" I observed.

"That means they'll be armed…" Nagase grumbled.

"Report to Command! Yuktobanian helicopters have entered our airspace! Repeat, Yuke copters have breached our airspace!" Chopper informed angrily. I think he was angry that Command hadn't told us sooner. Surely they could've spotted the helicopters sooner than this? Blaze was right. We were surrounded by idiots. I got behind an enemy an enemy aircraft and tried to fire but I had come in too close behind it so I almost got rid of it in an alternative way that is a good technique if you plan on not flying anymore…

I did a loop and this time got behind it far enough so that I wouldn't crash into it and close enough so I could use my guns… the ones on the plane, not on my arms that is. I destroyed the helicopter easily and went to find the next one.

Nagase was tailing a helicopter that was weaving in between the buildings. Chopper and Blaze were heading off in another direction to engage incoming helicopters.

"Be careful. They're fully loaded with missiles," Chopper warned.

"Six helicopters left," I told them.

"Man, fighter jets are really cool… You think that'd make a good present?" Charlie 11 mused. I couldn't tell if the guy was being serious or not.

"Uh, Charlie 11, I don't think your daughter would appreciate it too much," Baker 7 advised.

"It depends on if she likes fighter jets," I said.

"And, depending on how old she is, I would venture to say she would rather have the guy flying the jet rather than the jet itself," Blaze added.

"Why do you say that?" Chopper asked.

"Well, a guy wouldn't understand this but for girls, military men are almost always good-looking," Nagase explained.

"What category do I fall in?" Chopper queried.

"You don't know?" Blaze countered.

"No…"

"You know how all the girls on base had a crush on you?"

"Kind of…" I knew he was just saying that because he didn't want Blaze getting jealous but I didn't get the point in that because she was the one who brought up the point in the first place so she obviously already knew about it.

:Usually, when a lot of girls want a guy, it usually means they're pretty good-looking."

"In other words, Chopper, you're good-looking," Nagase simplified.

"Oh, well, that's good," Chopper said with a chuckle.

"I mean, look at Blaze's reaction when she saw you shirtless. I mean, that pretty much sums it up."

"Nagase!" Blaze protested, sounding very much horrified. I heard Chopper cracking up over the radio and I was laughing myself because I _had_ seen Blaze's reaction and it had been priceless! Nagase was in hysterics while I swear I could see steam coming out of Blaze's plane. "Kei Nagase, I cannot _believe_ you just said that!"

You knew Blaze was mad if she used your full name and not your callsign.

"Your face was priceless!" Nagase giggled.

"All right, all right, let's-" Chopper attempted to intervene but Blaze had other plans.

"Well, you had the same reaction I did when you saw Genette shirtless," Blaze countered.

"No I didn't!" Nagase objected.

"Yes you did! I saw your face when we looked at each other!"

Oh man, they were going to get into it! Girls get so touchy over the littlest things! Have you ever noticed that? And then they bring in other people and then it turns into a fiasco. However, with Blaze and Nagase, they were too good of friends to ever actually get in a real fight that would affect their friendship so while this was a fight, it was more of a play-fight… although I think Blaze was actually kind of mad.

"Did not!" Nagase snapped.

"Did too!" Blaze retorted.

"I didn't stammer out a sentence!"

"You didn't say anything!"

"GIRLS!" Chopper yelled.

"What?" Blaze and Nagase demanded simultaneously.

"We're going to solve this for you," I said.

"You both had the same reaction," Chopper declared.

"End of conversation," I claimed.

"Since when did we ask for your opinion in all this?" Blaze queried, sounding rather angry.

"This was between me and Blaze. It didn't include you two at all!" Nagase added.

"But we-" Chopper started.

"Men…" Blaze grumbled, cutting him off.

"Geez!" Nagase muttered.

Well, then. Chopper and I just got yelled at for telling the truth. How does that work out?

Nagase and I ganged up on a helicopter and shot it down (I forgot to mention that during that whole argument we were going after enemy copters). Blaze and Chopper had split up and were getting behind the helicopters they had been heading for earlier. I saw Chopper fire and a helicopter go down in flames.

"Four helicopters left," Charlie 11 noted.

"It's really ticking me off just sitting here doing nothing…" Baker 7 admitted, irked.

"The Sudayev team is completely surrounded!" the Kedar team announced. "The enemy planes have spotted us! Fly lower!"

Crap! Why did they have to fly lower? I was sick of having to weave in between buildings and all that. I liked flying in open sky without any obstacles in my way.

"Kedar to Sudayev. We're changing the planned retrieval time."

Blaze fired at a helicopter and it went down. I think there were three more helicopters left. The guys on the ground would let us know. Okay, I'll admit, it was nice having people down below because then they kept you up to date on what was happening down there since we couldn't see from up here. It's kind of like "how's the weather up there?" when you're low to the ground and someone is high up. Except for us, it's "how's the war down there?" Get it? No? Okay, I just made a fool of myself didn't I? I have a knack for doing that…

"Three more helicopters," Charlie 11 said (I told you they'd keep us up-to-date). He waited a few seconds before adding, "Baker 7, I'm going to attack them myself!"

"Hey, Charlie 11! What's that thing you got in the back seat?" Baker 7 inquired.

Nagase shot past me and fired her guns at a helicopter. It exploded in a great ball of fire. You would think that these helicopters would be hard to destroy but they were surprisingly easy. The Yukes are smart enough the use jamming aircraft but not smart enough to reinforce their helicopters? Maybe they're not so bright after all. Not that I'm complaining. Their making my job a hell of a lot easier.

"That's my anti-tank rifle! I brought it with me from home!" Charlie 11 informed. What was a policeman doing with an anti-tank rifle? That was my question. "Oh, and two more helicopters."

Did he just notice that?

"Look! It's a military helicopter! That's not an Osean aircraft," a different patrol car shouted.

"Did he seriously _just_ notice that?" Chopper said in an exasperated shock.

"It's not like there's been explosions in the air you know…" Blaze said.

"It makes me wonder how some of these people get their jobs," Nagase mused.

"I second what Nagase said. These people can be so oblivious!" I agreed.

"… An explosion! We just saw a flash of light, what appears to be an explosion, to the east!" A reporter said.

"These news people aren't much better," Blaze pointed out.

"They're just seeing the explosions after we shot down, what? Six helicopters?" Chopper observed.

"… Fighter jets. The engine noise is deafening!" the reporter exclaimed.

"Noooo, _really_?" Chopper grumbled. Honestly, how did some of these people get their jobs being as oblivious as they are? It took them like five minutes to notice that the Yuke copters were _Yuke_ military copters and not Osean aircraft, even _after _we had been blowing the copters up? Are they that dumb?

Blaze was behind the last two aircraft and we let her have them. They definitely wouldn't last. She shot down one of the helicopters and got behind the last one.

"… The city has turned into a real battlefield," A reporter proclaimed.

"No it hasn't," I said.

"Yeah, they want to see a battlefield, they should've seen Operation Footprint. Now _that_ was a battlefield!" Chopper stated. Blaze shot the last helicopter down.

**Mission Accomplished**

"This is Edge. All targets confirmed destroyed."

"Roger that. Wardog, get back in formation," Blaze ordered. I turned my plane until I found Blaze. She was cruising just high enough where no buildings would get in her way. Chopper and Nagase were already there so I high-tailed it to my position.

"This is Baker 7. The enemy truck has surrendered."

"Hah, serves you right. How's it feel now, huh?" Charlie 11 rambled.

"Does he know that the terrorist probably can't hear him?" I asked nonchalantly.

"I think it makes people feel better when you can lecture someone or say 'I told you so' even when they can't hear you," Nagase observed.

"Wardog, mission complete. Return to base immediately," CAC commanded.

"Sheesh," Chopper groaned.

"Let's go back to the place where we're treated like criminals, shall we?" Blaze said, making a light-hearted attempt a joke.

"We shall," Chopper replied.

"Charlie 11, we need a Code 3 response to find a dad mission from his daughter's birthday party…" Baker 7 said.

"10-4! Proceeding to the scene immediately!"

The four of us headed back to Oured. None of us too excited about it either.

* * *

When we got back to base, Ivan was there to greet us.

"Welcome back," Ivan said. He was eyeing Blaze and Nagase curiously.

"I would say it's good to be back but it's not. Well, at least not here," Blaze said.

"Pardon my asking, but which one of you is the captain?" Ivan asked.

"I am," Blaze replied. Ivan looked utterly shocked. I knew why though. When you're training at the base, you're taught the customs of other militaries.

"Wow, you're… young… Sorry, it's just in Yuktobania, it's almost impossible for a female to become a captain, especially so young," Ivan rambled. Blaze smiled.

"Blaze really didn't get a choice about being captain," Chopper said.

"Really?" Ivan looked confused.

"See, it was me, Chopper and Blaze and it was our second mission and our captain got shot down so the next mission, I was told to be captain but I gave the position to Blaze so she was captain for that mission and then our fourth mission, after we found out that our original captain was nowhere to be found, we had a colonel coming down from the mainland but he got shot down and then Blaze was given the permanent position as captain," Nagase explained.

"I see. That's really impressive," Ivan complimented.

"Thanks," Blaze replied with a little blushing. I was looking at his scar and Ivan must've seen my gaze because he said, "I was attacked by a shark when I was at the beach when I was fifteen."

"You're kidding?!" Nagase exclaimed. Ivan shook his head and went on to explain how he had been swimming with his friends when a Great White attacked him.

"Oh, before I forget, I was told to tell you to go pack your bags because you're leaving back to Sand Island in an hour," Ivan informed us.

"What?!" We all exclaimed.

"Dude! That's not fair! We have like fifteen minutes to pack up when we get back to the hotel because it takes forever to get to the hotel. This sucks!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Ah, hell. This day couldn't get any worse," Blaze mumbled. After that wonderful announcement and after wishing Ivan good luck, we literally ran to the car that would drive us to the hotel. The driver, which happened to be Nelson, drove _so slowly_! By the time we got to the hotel, we had only _ten_ minutes to pack. Jerk. I'm sure he did that on purpose. Blaze and Nagase were all flustered because they're girls and those two loved things like suitcases to be organized and with only ten minutes to organize their suitcase, they weren't that fun to be around.

We somehow finished packing (if you call throwing all of our stuff in a suitcase packing) in ten minutes. Even the girls had finished packing… although they were still fuming that they had had only ten minutes to pack. Nagase looked doggone tired so Genette put his arm around her and she leaned into him. Blaze and Chopper were holding hands. I felt a sudden need for Cassie. I missed her. Terribly. Horribly. Two days had been too long. I couldn't wait to see her and to have her wrapped in my arms and the sweet smell of her hair and the sound of her laughter and-

"Grimm! I hate to break your chain of thoughts about Cassie but the trucks here," Blaze said.

"Oh, sorry! How'd you know I was thinking about Cassie?" I asked, getting into the truck.

"I could just tell." Blaze shrugged.

"It's a Blaze thing, Grimm. She has a freaky power of knowing what other people are thinking or when something's about to happen," Chopper said. Blaze pushed him playfully from the backseat (yeah, we were being treated like toddlers with assigned seats… again).

"She's had that ability since she was a little kid," Genette added.

"It's just instinct," Blaze defended.

"That's some hell of an instinct you got there," Chopper laughed. Blaze rolled her eyes and pulled a Gibbs from _NCIS_ and gently smacked Chopper upside the head. We laughed as Nelson drove us to the airport.

It was a pretty eventful trip. Well, not the one in the car but at the airport, that was interesting. First, we weren't on a flight even though we had our tickets so Nelson got into it with the airline and then we got kicked out of the airport only to be called back in saying that we were on a flight but it was to Belka (we don't know why we were put on a flight to Belka) and so then they had to change it and by the time they had us on another flight, two hours had passed so they gave us the flight for free because of us waiting for so long and they found out we were military. That brightened up our day. Then Genette realized he was being pick-pocketed by a seven year old and the mother didn't even yell at the child. Genette was furious! After that, we went to get something to eat when Blaze ran into an old ex in the restaurant we were at (he worked there and was our waiter. Can I say awkward?). He said that they should hang out sometime and Chopper's face got dead serious and he looked like he was going to murder the guy. Blaze merely said that it was impossible with her schedule. The guy looked disappointed and didn't really talk to her the rest of the time, which made the whole situation even more awkward.

After the awkward meal, we went to the terminal and almost got run over by a cart and then Blaze had her purse stolen and we all went after the guy and Chopper tackled him to the ground that would've put NFL players to shame. Security came and got the guy and Blaze got her purse back. Oh, that's not it either. We were sitting down at our terminal and we see a guy accidentally bump into an old lady that looks like she was alive when the dinosaurs went extinct (harsh, I know, but it's the truth) and she started hitting him with her purse! We all had to stifle our laughter because it was damn funny to see this little old lady that couldn't have been more than four foot five hitting this big, buff guy that had to be around six foot five. Security had to escort her away from him.

Once our plane was here though, nothing else happened. We all fell asleep pretty quickly on our way back to Sand Island. When we got off the plane, Cassie was there waiting for us along with Pops. I pulled Cassie into a giant bear hug which she returned enthusiastically! I kissed her smack dab on the lips in front of everybody. I didn't care and by the feel of things, neither did Cassie.

We all hugged, well, Blaze and Nagase hugged Pops. Chopper, Genette and I shook his hand. The six of us went to our rooms where we all collapsed onto our beds.

* * *

**November 5-6, 2010…**

The next couple of days were weird. No one would talk to me, Blaze, Chopper, Nagase, Cassie, or even Genette. We were like outcasts. It didn't really bug us though. We had our own little gang and didn't really care whether people talked to us or not. My question was why did they bring us back to Sand Island if they didn't trust us? Obviously we were doing something right or else we wouldn't be here. Another question I had was would they send us on any missions?

The six of us all just kind of kept to ourselves and hung out with each other. We tried to avoid everyone else. Bailey Cohen looked like she wanted to murder us, especially Blaze. That girl has a serious grudge against Blaze. Although, I had the feeling that if the two got in a fight, Blaze would whoop her butt.

Chopper, Genette, and I went to the gym a lot. We received dirty looks but we ignored them. Blaze, Nagase, and Cassie stayed in each other's rooms, talking girl talk. I didn't really want to know what they were talking about so I didn't ask them what they discussed. They never brought it up either.

It was different, not being spoken to, but in a way, I almost enjoyed it. I didn't like half the people on base. The replacement-pilot trainees despised the fact that I was where I am now. They all wished it was them. Then the other pilots hated that the four of us were rookie pilots and we were already becoming well-known throughout the entire military in just a few weeks.

I had an epiphany at that moment, a realization that had taken me up to now to see: All the branches of our military loved us… except our own.

* * *

**Okay, the new and improved, revised chapter of Reprisal. It took me forever to get this story updated and I'm sorry but there's this thing called 'time' that is not in my dictionary. Hope you enjoyed!**


	13. Four Horsemen

**Hey y'all! So, I have an equation for you. Traveling+ No Internet+ Writing Four Other Stories+ Homework for AP Euro+ Writing a Chapter I Forgot= Long Time to Update This Story. I'm so sorry it took so long to update but hopefully that equation I gave you explains why. Anyways, enjoy the chapter! Oh, and sorry about my blonde moment with "Frontline". That was so stupid of me. Anyways, again, enjoy!**

Chapter 12: Four Horsemen

**Blaze**

**November 7, 2010…**

Just for the record, it _sucks_ being ignored, especially when you can't leave to get away from it all. I mean, its weird how you go from being big shots on base who can't do anything wrong to complete social outcasts in a day. However, today we had been given a mission so they must've had _some_ faith in us. I was glad we had been given a mission because then we, well, me, Chopper, Grimm, and Nagase at least, could get away from the doom and gloom here. Genette and Cassie had to stay on base and they weren't too stoked about that.

"Hey, Blaze," Chopper greeted me. I sat down next to him in the briefing room.

"You seem to be in a good mood," I pointed out with a smile.

"I am. After this mission, I get to pack for home."

"Oh yeah! We get to go back home after this!" I exclaimed. I had completely forgotten that we had our vacation time coming up. Of course, that was probably because I wasn't going home in the first place.

"You just remembered that?" Chopper asked amused.

"Don't judge," I huffed. Chopper laughed.

"So are your parents glad to hear you're coming home?" Chopper asked.

"Um, I'm not going home," I said.

"What? Why not?" Chopper's brow scrunched together in confusion.

"They're on the other side of the world right now, traveling," I explained with a shrug.

"What about Genette?"

"He's going home with Nagase."

"Well I don't want to leave you here by yourself because everyone from our 'gang' is going _somewhere_. Maybe I should cancel my trip and-"

"No!" I cut Chopper off. "I don't want you changing your plans on my behalf. Your family hasn't seen you in ages. You're going with or without me."

"I'd prefer _with_ you," Chopper said with a smile.

"I'd like to go too but none of my family is going to be there so I decided to stay here," I said. Chopper looked like he was deep in thought.

"I'm sorry, honey," Chopper whispered.

"It's okay," I replied. Actually, it wasn't. I had really wanted to see my parents and I had really wanted to go home. Chopper raised his eyebrows and I knew he didn't believe me. The downside of having a boyfriend who could read you like a book.

"Hey y'all," Genette said as he and Nagase walked in hand in hand. I replaced my hurt expression, well, what I guessed must've looked hurt because Chopper had been looking at me disbelievingly, and changed into a happy-go-lucky expression. However, Chopper still didn't look convinced. He knows me too well. Gosh dang it…

"Hey Genette, hey Nagase," I replied cheerily.

"What's wrong Chopper?" Nagase inquired as she and Genette sat down.

"Ah, nothing, I'm just thinking," Chopper replied casually. Genette looked surprised and Chopper pretended to look offended. "Hey, underneath these looks, I actually have a brain; I just tend not to use it all the time."

"We know," Genette laughed. Chopper smirked at Genette. Cassie and Grimm came in last, deep in conversation about what they were going to do when they went home. I tried not to let it show that I was, I'll admit it (just this once), jealous that everyone else was going home and that I was staying. I mean, sure I could've gone with Nagase and Genette when they invited me, but to tell you the truth, I don't really want to be around when they get all lovey-dovey with each other… plus, they deserved some alone time together. Having the sister/best friend around would make things awkward to put it lightly.

The Base Commander came in and after giving all of us the evil eye, he yelled, "I will now brief the details of your mission orders. That's all I have to say to you right now people. If you are really all innocent, then I suggest you prove it out there on the battlefield."

Yeah, nice to you too Donut Commander… I didn't say that…

Our briefer cleared his throat (which truth be told was starting to get on my nerves). "We have confirmed the existence of a Yuktobanian munitions factory in the arid region of Sonza. According to our information, they have already produced a new shipment of arms that are about to be airlifted to the front by a squadron of enemy transport aircraft. Carry out an attack on the facility, and keep those transports from making their delivery. Unfortunately, this factory is well protected by a solid radar network. The network consists of a group of interlinked radar sites. If even one radar site goes offline, the system is designed to immediately report the problem to the factory. However, according to our analysis, if all four radar sites can be destroyed simultaneously, then we'll be able to delay the warning of our attack. Thanks to the jamming of our electronic warfare planes, we've managed to open up an attack corridor to the radar sites. Your squadron will split up and fly four routes. Infiltrate the area, synchronize your attacks, and destroy all four radar sites at the same time."

Operation: Fork Dance

Location: Sonza

Date: 2010/11/07

Time: 0630 Hours

Well, this sounded easy. Not! Why couldn't any of our missions be easy? I sighed and got up with the gang. We walked to the hangar and I chose our planes. I couldn't decide on an F/A-18C 'Hornet,' or an F-14B 'Bombcat.' Yes, it actually is called a 'Bombcat,' no I don't know why they call it that, and yes it makes you wonder what these people are doing when they create these names. Finally, after much contemplation, I decided to go with the F/A-18C. We got in and took headed towards Yuktobania.

When we reached out target area we split up.

"Geez, now they got us turning right back into another battle, and this scenery definitely clashes with my Rock 'n' Roll," Chopper declared right as we entered the target area.

"Yeah, I don't see anyone running around naked yet," I joked.

"That doesn't happen at _every_ rock concert I've been to," he protested.

"Just most of them."

"I- uh- well- yeah…" Chopper stammered. I laughed.

"I'm just glad they're not ordering us to attack a city in retaliation for their retaliation," Grimm admitted.

"Yeah… you can say that again. Thank goodness there's nobody around here that we have to attack," Chopper agreed.

"For now…" I said.

"Well, if there are, I hope they leave me alone because I have a very important phone call to make," he grumbled.

"To whom?" Nagase queried.

"It's a surprise for a friend," he replied.

"What's the surprise?" I asked.

"I'll tell you it if I can't get my parents to agree to it first," Chopper answered with a laugh.

"This is Thunderhead. Cut the chatter."

"And yet this guy's _al_ways here," Chopper teased.

"Without fail," I added drolly.

"Oh, he'll quiet down soon. It wouldn't be a surprise attack if he came along with us," Grimm pointed out humorously.

"And people say that Chopper talks too much!" Nagase said.

"Hey!" Chopper repeated.

"I repeat, cut the chatter. Synchronize your watches before arrival," Thunderhead ordered. Oh, poor Dunderhead. We had so much fun messing with him. It was true though, it wouldn't be a surprise attack if he came along with us. He was almost as bad as Chopper with the constant talking. Well, no one is as bad as Chopper but at least when Chopper talks, he's saying something that everyone can relate to or argue with or continue the conversation with some witty response. When Dunderhead said something, it's like pickles and… spray cheese (disgusting, I know). You just can't do anything with it. The only good thing about Dunderhead is that he alerted us when there was trouble or how to do our mission while the mission was in progress.

"Five seconds to 1130 hours," Thunderhead informed. Five seconds went by. What? Dunderhead hasn't said anything in those five seconds? Shocking! "… Mark!"

I spoke too soon…

Nagase was to begin the countdown. I had ordered her to. Let's just say I didn't trust myself to do that. I was good at the flying and split-second decisions and timing when it didn't involve numbers. For example, firing a missile, that kind of timing. When it came to like actually timing something, like with numbers and all those shindigs, I failed epically. I'm not saying I can't do it, I can, but I'm not the best person to. Nagase on the other hand, aced that part in flight school. She literally got 101% and I didn't even think that was possible… is that possible? Then again, that flight instructor was young and I swear to god he had his eyes on Nagase…

"I'll begin the countdown for attack in just a moment," Nagase announced.

Great, here we go.

"We have to destroy the radar when count reaches zero. Watch your timing," Nagase warned.

"Great, I hate having a time limit…" I groaned.

"Me too Blaze," Chopper assured. Oh man, this was going oh-so much fun. Sheesh. Maybe I should go home just to get away from all the tension on base and come to think of it, I _really_ don't want to be on base with Bailey Cohen. I started thinking about just buying a ticket to go home. Was it too late though? Knowing my luck, it probably was.

"Man. My internal clock's already messed up and now this?" Chopper demanded.

"I'm spending more time in the air than on the ground," Grimm mused.

"It certainly feels that way," I agreed.

"Seriously, you know how people want to fly as a superpower? I dare them to fly in a plane for half a day each day and see how much they like it then," Chopper stated heatedly.

"It would be better if we could do whatever we wanted when we fly," Nagase said.

"Yeah," I replied. We lapsed into silence and I had to swerve up to miss a hill that I hadn't realized was in front of me because I was too busy watching Nagase, Chopper, and Grimm fly towards their targets.

"Kid, we destroy it together on 3-2-1-0, right?" Chopper questioned.

"You got it," I answered.

"Roger. Sorry."

"No problem. You have vacation on the brain."

"You can say that again… I shouldn't have said that."

"I wasn't going to repeat it. I'm too tired. I'm going to take a nice long nap when we get back."

"I'll join you once I finish packing," he said.

"This is Thunderhead, I have a message from Genette to Chopper." Uh oh… "He says 'Keep dreaming.'"

"Hey, I was just joking Genette," Chopper objected airily.

"No you weren't Chopper," I said with a chuckle.

"Blaze!" Chopper whined.

"Genette, don't worry, it won't be _anything_ like that so get your head out of that gutter."

"Hey, Genette, I need to talk to you when I get back," Chopper suddenly said.

"He's asking what about," Thunderhead responded.

"I'm unable to say due to the present company."

"He says okay."

"Good, glad that's settled." Chopper sighed happily. What the hell was that about? 'Due to the present company?' Who says that unless they're keeping a secret? Chopper wouldn't keep a secret from me unless he was planning on surprising me or something but that's nearly impossible to do on base because if someone overhears anything, it spreads like wildfire (yeah, the base is just like high school except with adults).

"30 seconds to countdown… and mark!" Nagase ordered.

Great…

"Sorry, let me make sure one more time. We need to match up the time of the destruction, not our firing, right?" Chopper asked.

"That's correct," I told him.

"I thought so. Sorry, I'm good now."

The radar came into my view, and I had to slow down so that I wouldn't get too close to it too soon.

"Ten seconds," Nagase said. I had to slow down even more. I was still too close. "Five, four, three, two, one, now!"

I fired my missile on two and it hit the radar right when Nagase said now. Bingo! Three more to go, oh joy… I fired at a control room that was next to the radar. I wasn't sure if it could alert anyone to our presence so I decided to be safe than sorry and fired a missile at it.

"Synchronized attack was successful," Nagase noted.

"Okay, one down, three to go," I urged.

"All right. See, nothin' to it. Let's go for the next one!" Chopper encouraged.

"Glad to see someone's confident. Hey, Grimm, you okay? You're awfully quiet," I said.

"Yeah, I'm fine! Sorry, my minds wandering," He answered in a daze.

"As long as you fire at the right time, keep daydreaming," Chopper told him.

"I know, I know," Grimm muttered.

"I think we're all off in our own little worlds thinking about what we're doing for our break," I mused.

"I know I am. Blaze, I still don't get why you aren't just going home to get away from the base," Chopper wrangled. I should've known he would bring it back up again.

"I don't know," I admitted.

"Next radar cluster approaching," Grimm updated.

"Nooow you speak!" Chopper taunted playfully.

"Oh shut up Chopper," Grimm bantered.

"… Naaahhh!"

"Thirty seconds to countdown… and mark!" Nagase commanded. I raced off towards the next radar. I had thirty seconds and I was still eighteen thousand feet from my target.

We had lapsed into silence again, all concentrating on our next target.

"No good, request to halt attack!" Grimm exclaimed quickly. What was wrong?

"Are you all right Grimm?" I asked worriedly.

"Roger, cancel the attack. Let's regroup," Nagase decided. "You all right?"

"Yes, I had a sensor malfunction. It's all good," Grimm confirmed.

"I'm glad you're okay. Everyone else okay?" I queried.

"My concentration is starting to wear thin, man," Chopper muttered.

"I'm good," Nagase assured.

"Just hang in there Chopper. You'll be home before you know it," I promised. That seemed to perk him up.

"Yeah, okay. Let's do this!" he declared.

"Resetting the count. Another countdown to start… now!" Nagase said. Well, now, let's try this again. Since I was nearly ten thousand feet away from the radar, I slowed way down so I wouldn't get there too early. I did a large circle too to waste some time. "Twenty seconds." I did another two large circles. "Ten seconds."

I straightened out my plane and headed towards the radar. When would this all be over? I can't wait for the day when this war ends. What would my life be like without this war? I wouldn't be going on missions almost every week. I wouldn't have insane conversations with Chopper and Nagase and Grimm (okay, actually I would on base), I wouldn't get to piss off enemy pilots, I wouldn't get to have that adrenaline rush going Mach 2. In a nutshell, my life would be boring if this war wasn't happening. At the same time, if this war wasn't happening, no one would be dying…

Nagase began counting down. "Five, four, three, two, one, now!"

I fired at the radar on 'one' because I had been so close to it. The missile destroyed the radar at the exact time Nagase said now. We were halfway done, thank god! I shot a missile at another control room and continued my course to the next radar.

"We did it. Our timing was perfect," Grimm chirped.

"Two more to go," I said warily.

"Two more too many," Chopper said.

I giggled. "Yeah, seriously."

"The interval between radar clusters is getting shorter and shorter," Grimm observed.

"Oh great…" I grumbled.

"I'll begin the countdown for attack in just a moment… and mark!" Nagase commanded. I flew towards the radar, thinking I had plenty of time to reach the next cluster. "Ten seconds."

Crap! I was still eleven thousand feet from the radar. I slammed the accelerator and shot off towards the radar. No way was I going to mess up this mission. If we messed this up, we wouldn't be able to go home, and since I wasn't going home, I didn't want to be the reason that everyone else couldn't go home.

"Five, four, three, two, one, now!" Nagase exclaimed. I had got within range of the radar right when Nagase started counting down. I fired on 'two' and the missile hit right on time. There was another control room so I fired at that too. It exploded and I headed to the last radar. Just one more to go and then the hard part would be over. Then we could shoot down those transport planes, blow up anything else that needed to be taken care of, and head on back to base.

"Looks like we did it. Heh!" Chopper cheered.

"One more to go y'all!" I said cheerfully.

"Yeehaw! Great balls of fire!" Chopper bellowed.

"I'll begin the countdown for attack in just a moment… and mark!" Nagase said. I headed to the last radar, anxious to get out of this minimum talking order we had. I wanted to have insane conversations and I wanted to joke around. Those crazy conversations are what kept me sane during all our missions. I would go crazy if I didn't have my friends talking about stuff that had completely nothing to do with what we were doing or what was going on around us. And then some conversations actually had to do with what was happening or what we were doing, but they were still outrageous, like when Chopper and Grimm were talking about calling Chuck Norris for help on capturing a fortress. Man, come to think of it, we have some weird conversations… "Ten seconds."

I, for once, was in perfect position to fire. I would reach the radar at the right time. Huh, that was a first and probably a last. I never reach a target when I'm supposed to. Something's wrong because something's going right for me! Nah, I'm just joking… but seriously, something's wrong if something's going right for me.

"Five, four, three, two, one, now!" Nagase yelled. I fired and the missile hit right on time. We had done it! I fired another missile at the last control room and then sped off towards the facility. We were going to do this and we were going to succeed, even if something had gone right for me.

"Radar network penetrated. Proceed to attack the weapons plant," Thunderhead instructed.

"Let's blow this thing and go home. Well, y'all can go home. I'm staying on base so I guess I should be saying let's blow this thing so we can go back to base," I corrected.

"Blaze?" Chopper said gently.

"Hmm?"

"You're rambling."

"What's wrong with rambling? I ramble a lot."

"Nothing, I love it when you ramble because you tend to say hilarious things and say stuff you don't want other people to know and then I start cracking up and then I can't breathe and then-"

"Chopper!" Grimm shouted.

"Yeah, Charlie Chaplin?" Chopper joked.

"Shut up, I talk unlike Charlie Chaplin. You're rambling," he pointed out.

"I am?"

"Yep, you started talking about Blaze rambling and then you started to ramble," Nagase explained.

"Huh, I did, didn't I? Well, I was also going to say, Blaze, that you ramble when you have a lot on your mind. So what's up?" Chopper questioned casually.

"Oh, you know, same old same old. Flying with you guys on a mission to save Osea and having whacked out conversations and you insulting Grimm, and Nagase and I teasing you.

"I see you're going to be stubborn about this, aren't you?" he groaned.

"Yep!" Okay, he knew something was wrong. I really have to watch out for my rambling because Chopper had a point: I ramble when I have a lot on my mind. Hell… Well, I do have a lot on my mind. I want to go home but there's no one to go home to and I don't have any friends there anymore because they all moved and I mean, yeah, I could hang out with Chopper but I don't think his family would want me around because they want to see _their_ son, not his girlfriend too. Why couldn't anything in my life be easy?

"Are those planes ours?" A Yuke inquired dubiously.

"No IFF response… can't be…" another one replied. The first target came into view and I fired my guns at the truck. I ordered everyone to disperse. We needed to find those transport planes immediately. Right as I was about to give the order, the Yuke shouted, "Air raid! We're under enemy attack! Scramble all transport planes!"

Well, I hoped we scared and surprised the hell out of them. It was our turn this time because they had surprised us too many times.

I flew towards a control tower and saw the glint of a tail of a plane. It was a transport plane. I had found them. I flew straight towards one, got a missile lock on it, and fired two missiles at it. I fired my guns for extra support and the plane exploded in a few seconds. I turned to another one and used the same technique. The same thing happened.

"on't let the transport planes escape! Shoot them down," Thunderhead barked.

"Yes sir," I responded.

"It's not like you've been telling us that ever since we were given the mission," Chopper said sarcastically.

"He must think we're stupid or something," Grimm mused.

"Well, you're in the company of two blondes and the other two are blonde at heart so…" Nagase trailed off.

"Hey!" Chopper and I protested.

"Just because I'm blonde doesn't mean I'm stupid all the time! It just means I do stupid things on a regular basis," I told her firmly.

"Besides, from what I've heard, blondes have more fun," Chopper said mischievously.

"Yeah! And we have an excuse when we do something stupid!" I pointed out.

"That's… a good point, actually," Grimm admitted.

"Being blonde isn't just a hair color, it's also a state of mind," Nagase said, sounding quite philosophical.

"I really hope you're not insulting me…" I said.

"Now why would I _ever_ do that? Haven't you given me enough bruises?" Nagase teased.

"I really don't know, have I?" I countered.

"Yes!" I laughed. Poor Nagase… Well, in my defense, she shouldn't have scared me all those times. It's a reflex for me and I don't know why but when someone scares me, I'll usually, uh, nail them in the shin and apparently it hurts (maybe it has something to do with me being an ex-soccer player?).

"Get the transports airborne! Hurry!" A Yuke hollered.

"You want them to fly through this? You're kidding me!" Another one shrieked.

I circled around so I could get a good lock on another transport plane.

"We've only got a few more minutes to take off!" A transport captain informed grimly, urgently. I fired a missile at a transport plane taking off. The missile missed (heh, that's fun to say, the missile missed… sorry, moving on) and I fired another missile at a different transport plane and it exploded. Chopper, Nagase, or Grimm must've fired at it before.

"Warning! You're being spiked my enemy radar!" Thunderhead shouted. I got behind the last transport plane and it was in the middle of taking off. I fired a missile at it and that's when my missile alert signal went off. "Break! Missile!"

I shot up into the sky, completely vertical and avoided the missile. _My_ missile, the one I had shot at the transport plane, had hit the plane and it exploded.

"Kid just bagged one!" Chopper announced. Why did Chopper call me 'Kid' sometimes and not other times? Weird. I mean, I just didn't understand it. Why do guys have to be so damn confusing? Most guys I can read and figure out what they want when they want it but Chopper had me stumped. Ugh! Gosh dang it! Ignore my little rant; it's just that I hate not knowing things! It drives me freaking insane when I don't know something. I'm what you call a bookworm and I love to learn things. You probably think I'm mentally ill, and you know what, I'm starting to agree with you.

Well, moving on. After getting away from that missile, I did a loop and ended up being straight above a target. How lucky is that? I fired a missile at the crane and then locked on to another target. I'm not even sure what it was but I fired anyway. My radar said it was a target and I trust my radar. I lined up with a building and shot holes in the roof because for some odd reason, my radar told me they were targets. Why it had the roof as targets, I wasn't sure so don't ask me why.

"This factory is huge. Wow," Grimm murmured.

"Hey, you're actually talking now, Grimm!" Chopper laughed.

"I'd tell you to shut up but I know that won't work," Grimm retorted.

"You know me too well, Grimm."

"Which is a good thing, because then I know where to go if I want to avoid you."

"Oh that's just rude…"

"Do y'all need counseling?" I queried.

"Mr. Charlie Chaplin does, I don't. I'm happy as a clam!" Chopper exclaimed.

"How can you tell if a clam is happy?" Nagase wondered aloud.

"I don't think you can," I said.

"Um, could we stop talking about clams? It's making me hungry," Grimm said.

"Yeah, let's not talk about clams. Clams sound really good right now and clams make awesome clam chowder. How do you find clams? I've always wondered how you find clams to make them into clam chowder because clam chowder is delicious," Chopper rambled. He could be so mean sometimes, but in a good way, if there's even a way to be mean in a good way. I don't think there is but I'm creating a circumstance where you can be mean in a good way so deal with it.

"Are you done?" Grimm grunted.

"I think so, Silent Man."

Grimm sighed. "Get it out of your system."

"Nah, I'm good."

"Wow, that's surprising."

"You can find that I can be full of surprises," Chopper commented.

"Speaking of surprises, what is the surprise for your friend?" I prodded.

"That plan is still underway. I still need to ask my parents if it's all right," He answered.

"When do you need to ask your parents?"

"Uh, tonight…" he admitted sheepishly.

"Ooh, good luck with that one," Grimm said.

"Thanks, Grimm. So glad to know that you have your utmost confidence in me," Chopper replied.

"I was just thinking that you were going to fall asleep before you made the phone call," Grimm explained.

"Nah, this is too important."

"If you would tell us what it was, we could help you," Nagase argued.

"Sorry, but I can't."

"This isn't a prank you're going to pull on us is it?" I asked him distrustfully.

"No, I swear, honest to god, this is not a prank."

"Liar!" Grimm accused.

"It isn't!"

"I believe you Chopper," I said.

"Thank you, Blaze," Chopper said heartily. "Geez, no faith whatsoever Grimm."

"What are friends for?" Grimm joked.

Okay, this thing that Chopper was planning for a friend was driving me insane! What was the surprise? It was driving me bonkers! Up the wall! Out of my mind!

I sighed.

He would tell me when he wanted to tell me. I just had to wait… and the truth is I suck at waiting. This was going to be a long day…

"Well? Did we surprise you guys?" Chopper asked. The sound of his voice made it obvious he _did_ know that we had surprised them and that he was clearly enjoying it.

I turned around and headed towards an AA Gun that was being rather annoying because its shots were unfortunately pretty accurate and some of the bullets had nearly hit my plane. I destroyed it and looked around to find Chopper, Nagase, and Grimm. Chopper was shooting at some of the buildings, Nagase was following an enemy fighter, and Grimm was firing at, actually I wasn't sure what Grimm was doing but I trusted him enough to know whatever he was doing was helping out the mission.

"Is building A5 still intact?" A Yuke shouted.

"Get all the precision equipment out of here before it burns up!" Another enemy barked.

"Extinguishers malfunctioning! We can't put out the fire in time!" A Yuke comrade responded. "The fire's too strong. It's gonna ignite!"

Okay, I was really hoping nothing was going to blow up because knowing my luck, I would be in the place that blew up. I flew parallel with a building and fired at a smokestack ahead of me. It crumpled to the ground in a heap of debris.

"I always thought the Yukes had more weapons than what the reports said. This is why," Chopper admitted.

"This factory is enormous. I wonder how much ammo they produce here," I mused thoughtfully. My mind started trying to figure out which building produced what, how many workers were in each factory, and how much was produced. The statistics didn't go over well in my head; I told myself to stick with flying, not math.

"Certainly not a small amount, that's for sure," Nagase replied.

"This is what tactical bombing is all about, right here," Chopper declared. He was right about the whole tactical bombing. In case you don't know, tactical bombing is aerial bombing aimed at targets of immediate military value (thank you Heierlark Base for teaching me that… okay, and Wikipedia). Oh yeah, this was some serious tactical bombing. Thanks to us, the Yukes would lose a ton of ammo and weaponry. I felt bad because this would be a huge blow to them but then I said screw them, the bigger the blows we dealt, the shorter this war would be.

"Where should I attack first for maximum effect?" Grimm questioned.

"Whatever's closest in front of you," I answered.

"Makes sense," Grimm acknowledged.

"The 'hardware' is still being tuned in the hangar!" A Yuke shouted. "Fighter team, sanitize the airspace above the runway!"

"Look! The enemy planes spotted them!" Another enemy hollered.

"Um, what did we spot?" I asked.

"Well, we certainly spotted their factory but I seriously have no idea what they think we've spotted," Chopper said.

"I was expecting you to come up with some random thing, Chopper," Nagase noted.

"For what?"

"For whatever the enemy thinks we've spotted," Grimm explained.

"Oh, I have plenty of ideas, I'm just not in the mood to say 'em."

"Call the doctor!" I exclaimed.

"Why?!" Chopper inquired quickly.

"Because Chopper's not going to say something!" Nagase laughed.

"Are you feeling okay Chopper?" Grimm added, sounding sarcastically concerned.

"Oooh, y'all can just shut your pie holes," Chopper snapped airily.

"As you would say Chopper, '… Naaah!'" Grimm said drolly. I heard Chopper grumble to himself over the mic about how we had all lost it and that we must've had some of that space cake from the movie _Deuce Bigalow European Gigalow_. Ever heard of it? Yes? No? Well, if you've seen it, you know what I mean.

I fired my guns (the ones on the plane, not my muscles because I don't have that big of muscles in the first place… well, I do, but they're all in my legs. I have no upper body strength at all…) at a hangar and then at some gas tanks and boy did they make a big butt explosion (yes, I just said big butt, don't judge, I don't like to cuss unless absolutely necessary. And it is necessary when spiders are coming to kill me!).

"My blueprints are still in the office…" A Yuke mumbled sadly.

"I'm on his tail!" An enemy fighter announced.

"Oh no you don't you little moron," Nagase growled. I saw Nagase get behind an enemy plane following Grimm and fire a missile at it. The missile hit the plane squarely in the engine. It fell in a fiery mass to the ground.

"Nice shot Nagase," I complimented.

"Thanks Blaze!"

"Thanks for getting that putz off my tail. He was driving me insane!" Grimm commented.  
"That's not hard to do," Chopper noted.

"You're a lot brighter than you look," Grimm said.

"That's just rude man. Besides, how can you see me when I'm in a plane?" Chopper argued.

"Dude, I see you on the ground all the time," Grimm pointed out.

"Your point?"

"Oh never mind."

"What's with all the bickering between y'all?" I demanded.

"Seriously. You two have been at each other's throats this whole mission," Nagase added.

"We're just teasing each other, I swear!" Chopper promised.

"It's a guy thing," Grimm said.

"And this is a captain thing where I tell you two to knock it off," I retorted.

"You two had better listen to her," Nagase suggested.

"I'm listening. I don't want a bruise on my leg… Nagase!" Chopper told her with a following chortle.

"Don't bring that up! I still have that bruise!"

"Do you really?" I asked in shock.

"Yes!"

Had I really kicked Nagase that hard? I don't remember kicking her that hard… well, like I said, all my muscle is in my legs. Poor Nagase. At least everyone _else_ knew now not to scare me because apparently my kicks hurt. I wouldn't know because it's not like I kick myself in the shin. I ain't that blonde!

"Why didn't we have more AA guns?! Most of the buildings have taken irreparable damage," A Yuke informed grimly.

"I don't have any information on the extent of damage on our end, either…" Another one said.

"They almost talk as much as you Chopper," I observed.

"No one can beat me!" Chopper claimed.

"Wanna bet?" I dared.

"Sure. Fifty bucks for the winner."

"Don't do it Chopper," Nagase admonished.

"I'm placing my bets on Chopper. Sorry, Blaze," Grimm apologized.

"My bets go to Blaze," Nagase admitted. "Sorry, Chopper."

"Okay, Chopper goes first, Blaze goes second," Grimm ruled. Chopper took a deep breath. Oh this was going to be so much fun… why were we doing this in the middle of a mission?

"Give me a topic," Chopper requested.

"Football," Grimm said.

"Oh man! Football is awesome! You get to run and push and tackle people but then you can get tackled if you have guy friends or brothers. I feel bad for girls who have brothers because I wonder if the brothers ever try to tackle their sisters to the ground because that's just rude. Then again, the sisters are probably out shopping and gossiping like girls do. They can spread gossip like wildfires and wildfires aren't good except that afterwards the vegetation grows back healthier or something right? I'm not sure because I was never the best math student, wait, nature is science, isn't it? Well, that just proves I can be very blonde and I'm running out of ideas on rambling so Blaze, it's all yours.

Finally…

"Okay, topic Nagase," I ordered.

"Cats."

"Ooh! I love cats! You know, I used to own four cats at one time? Max, Princess, Bart, and Jake. I have always loved cats and I was reading this book about vampyres and that's spelled with a 'y' strangely enough and in the book they were saying how the cat chooses the owner, not the other way around and I seriously think that's how it worked out with me and my cat Princess. Aren't books awesome though? Like _Percy Jackson and the Olympians _and the _Inheritance Cycle_? Those books are _Eragon, Eldest, _and _Brisingr_. Did you know that in the book, brisingr means fire? I mean who knew? Apparently the author, Chris what's-his-face based the language on Norse and my question is who spoke Norse? I mean, when someone says the speak English, you know they're from Osea or somewhere nearby. When someone says they speak Norse, you don't know where the hell they're from! The language is like extinct like the Saber-tooth Tiger which has been dead for a looong time… I'm out of ideas…"

"Did I say I placed my bets on Chopper? I meant Blaze," Grimm lied.

"Grimm, you owe Nagase fifty bucks, and Chopper, you handsome stud, owe me fifty dollars," I chirped.

"Okay. Wow, girls talk a lot…" Chopper muttered.

"Have you seen when Blaze, Nagase, and Cassie get together?" Grimm queried in amusement.

"Oh my god! How could I forget?! They went from shopping to cleaning. How does that work?" Chopper demanded exasperatedly.

"By the amazing randomness of our brains," Nagase said matter-o-factly.

"Plus, you have two blondes and the other is blonde at heart. You're bound to have a weird conversation going on there," I pointed out.

"Amen to that one," Chopper agreed. I couldn't believe we just had a speaking contest in the middle of a battle. Who does that? Apparently, we do.

We were halfway done with destroying our targets. Just a few more left and then we would be back at the base and everyone would be packing for home… except me. It wasn't too late to get a ticket (at least I didn't think so), but who would I see? All my friends except Chopper have moved from there and Genette is going home with Nagase, and Cassie and Grimm are going to Cassie's place, and I don't want to ruin Chopper's reunion time with his family. God, this really, really, completely, totally, sucked with a capital 'S'.

"Do you realize how long it'll take to restore everything?!" A Yuke barked, infuriated.

"We missed our chance…" Another one murmured.

"The production line's been completely demolished!" A Yuke shouted.

"We're within the blast radius of the explosion. We gotta get out of here," Grimm urged.

"It won't explode," I said.

"It won't?"

"No, not enough fuel to create a good enough explosion. It'll probably just create a small fire, no explosion though."

I fired a missile at another hangar that was a little ways from the main factory.

"Mechanical parts discovered in destroyed enemy facility. We'll have the ground forces retrieve them later," Thunderhead informed.

So there had been something in there. Huh, I wonder what the 'mechanical' parts were.

"The engine factory is being bombed!" A Yuke bellowed.

"Nooo, _really_?" Chopper replied sarcastically.

"I guess we're gonna have to reinstall all our machine tools," Another Yuke admitted.

"We'll need to suppress that anti-aircraft fire," Grimm noted.

"They have so much of it too," I pointed out, somewhat irked.

I got behind an enemy plane and it turned to evade me. Did it have to do that?

"Blaze can you attack from your present position?" Nagase asked.

"No, it just went out of field of vision. Chopper, see if you can find it," I ordered.

"Aye, aye, captain!" Chopper's plane zipped past me at an impressive speed seeing as how I was already going pretty fast.

"Some of our men are pinned underneath the machinery," A Yuke cried out.

"This is a bad day for the Yukes," Grimm acknowledged.

"You can say that again," Nagase approved.

"Move the rubble away. Initiate a rescue operation!" A Yuke commanded before adding, "We can't let them stop this production line! Do whatever you can to protect this place!"

"And y'all do whatever you can to destroy the place because I want to get back to base!" I told my friends.

"Me too! The sooner I talk to my parents, the better!" Chopper exclaimed.

"You're saying that because you know it's killing me that I don't know what you're talking about," I muttered.

"Yeah, sorry Blaze," he apologized sheepishly.

"Why can't you tell us?" I prodded.

"Because, I just can't," he replied.

"Oh, that was really helpful," Nagase joked.

"I should never had said anything," Chopper grunted.

"I don't really care what it is. It's girls that are always wondering about everything," Grimm mused. Okay, yes, girls do like to know pretty much everything but it's our nature. We usually do find out whatever we want too but you know, the knowledge comes with a cost. Most guys I've noticed (ahem, Genette, Chopper, and Grimm), when they hit the pillow, they're out like a light. Girls, yeah, no such luck. It takes about thirty minutes. For me, it takes over an hour. I don't know why. I know I have an overactive imagination so maybe that has something to do with it… anyways, in a nutshell, it takes a longer time for girls to fall asleep than guys. Period. And all because we think way too much.

I went up in a loop and headed down completely vertical and fired a special weapon at some AA guns and some SAMs in a building that had no roof thanks to Nagase. There were four in each building (there were two buildings). I fired LASMs at the targets and they exploded, plain and simple. I pulled up sharply to avoid crashing into the building. I went to take care of the next building but Grimm had beaten me to it.

"Watch out for the wall of smoke," Nagase warned.

"They had an awfully elaborate radar network protecting this base. You smell anything fishy, Captain?" Grimm queried.

"Yes, I do. What do they have here that's so important?"

"I knew you'd agree! And that commotion down there is proof."

"I don't know, but I know I would've used a different analogy than 'smell fishy,'" Chopper joined in.

"Do I want to know why?" Grimm responded wearily.  
"Well, there's no river or ocean nearby. There's no fish here."

"What analogy would you use then?"

"I would've just said something was off."

"What kind of off? Do you mean like something's wrong or like Charlie Sheen off?" I inquired.

"The first one, not the second," Chopper answered.

"Chopper's the one that's Charlie Sheen off," Nagase teased.

"Hey!" he protested.

"He's funny like Charlie Sheen but he's not completely off his rocker. Plus, Chopper still has his brain cells," I stated.

"Very true," Nagase said. If Chopper was anything like Charlie Sheen, I don't think he would've been able to get in the military. A mental institution, probably. But the military, no way.

"They really did us in, didn't they? Man, this is horrible," A Yuke remarked sadly.

I got behind an enemy plane and trailed it, hoping it would realize I was there. I wasn't close enough to use my missiles yet. I just had a few more seconds before I could shoot. Chopper shot over the plane, distracting him just when I got missile lock. I fired a missile and the enemy plane tried to evade it but it was too late. The missile hit and there was one less enemy plane we had to worry about.

"The Captain shot down a bandit!" Grimm cheered.

"Thanks to Chopper," I said.

"What did I do?" he questioned, sounding genuinely surprised.

"You distracted him."

"Oh, you're very welcome. I was just trying to piss him off," Chopper confessed.

"Well I think you did a fantastic job," I replied.

"Thank you."

"Explosions going off in the area. Be careful going in at low altitude," Nagase admonished.

"Thanks for the update Nagase," I told her.

"Can I ask y'all something?" Chopper asked.

"It depends on what it is," Grimm said.

"When people say, 'Do what the Romans do,' what do the Romans actually _do_?"

"How should I know?" I retorted.

"And why are you asking us now?" Grimm added.

"And why did you think of that?" Nagase joined in.

"Sheesh! I was just asking," Chopper defended exasperatedly. I chuckled at his randomness.

I counted two more targets and about eleven or twelve optional targets.

"If the Yukes lose this facility, it'll be that much harder for them to sustain their war effort," Nagase commented.

"All right, let's get this war over with a hurry," Chopper encouraged.

"We were trying to do that in the first place," I remarked.

Well, we were.

I fired at some gas tanks and they made a massive explosion. Chopper was taking care of some chimney stacks and Grimm and Nagase were taking care of the two remaining enemy aircraft.

Grimm got an enemy locked onto him and the enemy fired. Grimm dodged it easily. He was a good fighter pilot.

"I was sure I was gonna get skewered by that missile," Grimm grumbled.

"You're too good Grimm, that won't happen," I assured him.

"Thanks, Blaze."

Grimm and Nagase had finally taken care of the last two enemy planes. Now all we had to do was destroy a few optional targets, and then one more target since Chopper had shot down the last big smokestack. There was a substation on the outskirts of the factory so I raced over there and destroyed it because I wasn't sure if it was important or not and I didn't want to find out. Once we shot down the last SAM, our mission would be complete and we could head on back to base. I thought that I would be excited that I was going to have a break for a while but then thinking about how all my friends would be gone and the only entertainment I would have would be watching Bailey Cohen attempting to flirt with guys, it was kind of depressing.

Chopper destroyed the remaining optional targets, I destroyed the last non-optional target, and Nagase and Grimm headed back towards us because they had chased the enemy planes pretty far out.

**Mission Accomplished**

"All targets confirmed destroyed. Picture clear, mission complete. Return to base," Thunderhead ordered.

"Well, it's over," Chopper said casually.

"Mission complete. Let's go home," Nagase said.

"Nagase."

"Hmm?"

"You gotta say that with a little more feeling. At least we get to go home today, right?"

"Yeah."

"So cheer up a little, huh?"

"You too, Chopper," Nagase told him.

"Yeah… I know," Chopper replied with a humorless chuckle.

We headed back towards Sand Island. I was going to miss my friends for the next week. And why did Chopper seem so… well, not excited to go home? I mean, he didn't sound like he didn't want to go but he also didn't sound like he wanted to go. Ugh, I seriously needed to stop thinking so much. It probably wasn't good for my health with how much I thought.

* * *

We landed at the base and we were greeted by Cassie and Genette and Pops. Pops was staying on base because he had to train the reserve pilots. Cassie hugged Grimm and same with Genette and Nagase. I found it strange that Chopper and I were the only ones dating that both flew planes.

Sorry, random thought.

"Hey, Genette, I need to talk to you," Chopper said. Genette looked at Chopper curiously but said okay. Chopper kissed me on the top of my head and he and Genette walked to, well, who knows. Grimm said bye to Cassie and raced off to his room because apparently, he hadn't even started packing. Cassie, Nagase, and I headed to Nagase's room because she needed help packing. Cassie was practically done because she had finished when we were on the mission. The only thing she needed to pack was makeup and hair stuff and the works.

"Hey, I need a dress because Genette's taking me to a fancy restaurant and stuff," Nagase said, looking at her closet.

"Well, show us what you have," I said. Nagase took out a red dress. Cute, but nowhere near dressy enough. I told her she could take it but not for the restaurant. She pulled out a few more dresses and none of them were right. Oh boy…

"Nagase, you're almost the same size as me. Come on, you're going to use one of my dresses," I declared, standing up. I grabbed Nagase by her hand and dragged her to my room.

"Sit," Cassie ordered. Nagase sat down and told Cassie she wasn't a dog. Cassie and I laughed.

"All right, do you need it long or short?" I asked.

"Um, doesn't really matter," Nagase said. Well, that didn't help. I dug through my closet and pulled out a dress my David Meister. "Here, try this on."

Nagase took the dress from my hands and went to my bathroom. She looked great when she came out. It was a white, off the shoulder dress.

"Well?" Cassie inquired.

"It feels a little big," Nagase admitted. She went back into the bathroom to change out of it; meanwhile, I had one dress in mind that I thought would be perfect. I pulled out a blue dress by Catherine Malandrino and handed it to Nagase.

"How many dresses do you have, Blaze?" Cassie questioned as she looked at all my dresses.

"Too many," I joked. Yeah, I really did have too many dresses. Nagase came out and I think my mouth dropped open. She looked stunning in the dress. It was a dark blue, almost black with a really pretty design decorating the hem, waistline, and neckline of the dress.

"Well?" Nagase inquired, biting her lip.

"I think Genette's going to have a heart attack when he sees you," Chopper said as he walked in my room. Nagase jumped in surprise as I laughed because I agreed with Chopper.

"Uh, I don't really want to kill my boyfriend," Nagase said warily. We laughed and she went back in my bathroom to change.

"So what's that all about?" Chopper asked.

"Genette's taking Nagase to a fancy restaurant back at her home," I explained.

"I see."

"What are you doing here?"I asked.

"I came to ask you something but I'll wait until Nagase and Cassie are gone."

"Why do you have to wait until we leave?" Cassie whined.

"Because, I just do," Chopper answered simply.

"Thanks for clearing that one up," Cassie muttered. Nagase came back out in a white tank top and jeans and handed me back my dresses.

"Oh no, you're taking that blue one," I ordered.

"But-" Nagase tried to protest.

"Captain's order." I grinned. Nagase smiled and left the room with my dress. I looked at Cassie who had backed up to the wall, looking as if she hoped we wouldn't notice her. Chopper and I crossed our arms and raised our eyebrows.

"You two are so much alike it's scary," Cassie mumbled before walking out the door. She shut the door, making Chopper and I chuckle.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" I inquired, walking over to the door very quietly. I opened the door and Cassie _and_ Nagase looked up at me sheepishly.

"Uh, we were just going," Nagase said as she took a hold of Cassie and dragged her down the hall. I laughed, shut the door, and turned back to Chopper who was grinning.

"So you were saying?"

"I was saying that you need to pack your bags," Chopper said. What did he just say?

"What? Why?"

"Because, if you accept that is, I'm inviting you to go home with me. I called my parents and they said they would be glad to have you come over. Actually, my mom pretty much screamed when she found out that you were my girlfriend." Chopper admitted, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly at the thought.

"Your mom remembers me?" I inquired, astonished. I had been over his house a few times when we were younger and when he was graduating high school and all but I didn't think his parents would remember me that well.

"Yes, very well, actually."

"Chopper, are you sure?" I asked.

"Positive Blaze."

"Then yes, I'll go," I replied, smiling a mile wide. Chopper yelled victoriously as he swung me around.

"Well, I better get packing," I said.

"Okay, I'll let you get packing because I remember Genette telling me you pack a lot."

"Wait, you asked Genette?"

"Technically, yeah."

"Technically? How does that work?"

"I'm not really sure. Anyways, I better go because I have some things I need to take care of and I bet you anything Cassie and Nagase are outside our door again," Chopper told me with a smirk. We heard a muttered curse and some shuffling away from my doorway.

"That was so predictable," I said. Chopper agreed and after a quick kiss, he left and I got to packing and boy did I have a lot to do.

* * *

**Okay, I hoped you enjoyed that! Sorry it took so dang long to update, my hand was giving me trouble and I couldn't type for long last night or else I probably would've finished it by last night and would've had it posted this afternoon. I probably won't be updating soon because I have to update other stories and I have homework (bleh) to do and that's due August 1****st****. So enjoy the chapter and I'll update as soon as possible which will maybe be in two weeks (sorry). Oh, and I'm pretty sure no girls are reading this but if there are any, and you want to see Nagase's dresses, I'm going to post the links to the dresses Nagase tried on on my profile page. Bye!**


	14. Camaraderie

**Hey y'all! Has anyone ever watched the show **_**Supernatural**_**? It's sooooo freaking good! I've been watching it online and I have to go in 26 minutes because an episode comes on and my favorite actor is on the episode, Jake Abel (whom I've based Chopper off of), and of course he has to freaking die soooo, not to happy about that. I actually found that out when a person I'm talking with on here told me about the show and so now I'm hooked on it and I'm about to get really mad that he dies… So, enough of my mad rambling, here's the next chapter. Random fact here: Blaze's real name is Elizabeth and you can spell Blaze with letters from the name Elizabeth. Fair warning, if you're a guy (which I think it's only guys that read this…), this chapter has absolutely nothing to do with war. It's kind of a chick-flick chapter so if you want a summary of it, scroll down to the bottom of the page, k? Well, actually, that's not completely true. There's part where it's Hamilton's POV so you can just scroll down to there. Okay, here you go.**

**(26 minutes later: I don't get the freaking channel for **_**Supernatural**_**! I'm so **_**freaking**_** mad!)**

Camaraderie

**Chopper's POV**

The flight to Osea Springs was pretty long. Blaze sacked out the moment the plane leveled. She had a strange fear of take off, at least when it wasn't _her _taking off. I stayed awake awhile and watched Family Guy. Being on a military plane does have its perks because you have your own personal TV. It was also rather turbulent. I had some random thought that if I was watching _Star Wars_, the flying scenes with the Millennium Falcon would be much more realistic. Then again, I question my random thoughts. I make no sense sometimes, even to myself.

The plane landed with a big bump and Blaze awoke as she was bounced into the air.

"I didn't do it!" Blaze declared waking up.

"We just landed," I said, trying (and failing epically) to try and not smile.

"Oh," Blaze mumbled. She yawned and stretched and rested her head on my shoulder.

"Evening sleepyhead," I said.

"What time is it?"

"Uh, it's five twenty five."

"Oh. How long is the ride to your house?"

"It's fifteen minutes," I said. Blaze mumbled an okay and we waited patiently for the plane to pull into the gate. Once we did pull into the gate, we went to baggage claim and grabbed our bags and then hailed a taxi to my parent's place. Blaze looked out the window with a faraway look in her eye and started fiddling with her necklace. I wondered what she was thinking of whenever she got like that. It had started happening more recently. We would have to say her name three or four times before she would look at us. When we would ask her what she was thinking about, she would give an almost sad half-smile but she never told us what she was thinking, no matter how much me or Genette or Nagase or Cassie or Grimm prodded her. To me, and yeah, I know this'll sound corny or whatever, but it was almost like she was seeing into the future or something. It was just… weird. Her intuitions on things, everything, was getting better and better, almost like she was able to predict the future. I wondered if that's what was happening. Yeah, I know it sounds strange and whatnot but if you saw Blaze, you would know what I meant.

The taxi pulled up to my parent's house. It was three stories, including the basement.

"Blaze, we're here," I said. Blaze looked dazed when I shook her out of the trance she always got herself into.

"Yeah, right," Blaze said, shaking her head and smiling. "Let's go."

I smiled at her and we got out of the car. The taxi man got our suitcases, I paid and tipped him, and then we walked to the front door. I hadn't even rung the doorbell before the door opened. Hell, we hadn't even walked five feet away from the cab before my family practically busted down our front door. My mom tackled me and my dad gave Blaze a big hug. Melissa, my older sister, with her five month old baby, came rushing out of the house and literally made me stumble back from the impact. She squeezed the living daylights out of me with one hand. How she was able to do that, I'm not sure.

"Can't… breathe!" I gasped. Melissa laughed and let go of me. I rubbed Jackson's head, my nephew and her son. She went over and repeated the process with Elizabeth, who seemed to be completely unaffected by the hug. Maybe it was a girl thing to hug someone so excessively tight that they couldn't breathe and maybe girls were immune to it. Blaze doted on Jackson and Jackson seemed to be in love with Blaze. It was a good thing that Jackson wasn't Blaze's age because he was charming her pretty well. My dad came over and unlike the girls, didn't try and kill me with his hug, but he did hug me tightly.

"I'm so glad y'all are alright!" My mom exclaimed. "And my god Elizabeth! You look beautiful! It's been so long since I've seen you!"

"It's nice to see you too Mrs. Davenport!" Blaze smiled and it was pure happiness.

"Oh, please dear, call me mom," My mom insisted.

"Haha, okay mom," Blaze replied with a smile.

"Very good, very good. Now, dinner is ready to be served," My mom said as she shooed us into the house.

"I'll take those, son," My dad said.

"I'll help, dad," I said. Together, my dad and I lifted up the suitcases when I realized something. "Um, are Blaze and I, are we sharing a room or no?"

"Well, dear, we're having a party tomorrow and some family is staying over tomorrow so you two will have to share a room," Mom informed.

"Just make sure I don't hear the bed slamming against the wall," Melissa said with a grin. Blaze blushed so much that I could tell even with the makeup she was wearing, however, she did smile, but kind of bashfully.

"MELISSA!" I scolded.

"What? It's the truth!" Melissa pointed out and she headed to the kitchen.

"I'm so sorry, Blaze," I apologized.

"I found it rather funny," Blaze said with a smirk.

"Yeah, sure you did. I saw you blushin'," I commented. Blaze just grinned and my dad and I brought the suitcases up to my old room. If you're wondering what my old room looked like, it had posters of fighter jets, super cars, and football players.

"So son, how serious is it between you and Elizabeth?" Dad asked. I turned to look at him.

"We're pretty serious. We haven't… done anything but yeah, we're pretty serious," I answered.

"What's on your mind Al?"

"Nothing sir," I said.

"Don't call me 'sir' Al, call me dad. That's what I am," Dad pointed out with a smile.

"Sorry dad, I'm so used to calling the superiors that, even if I do supposedly shoot my mouth off over the radio." I chuckled.

"I'm afraid you got that trait from me. So, what's on your mind?"

"I'm… I'm thinking about asking Blaze."

**Melissa's POV**

"Can I do anything to help?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, no, you go sit down and get some rest. We're just dishing up," Mom said. Blaze gave a defeated sigh but she stood where she was. She was as stubborn as my brother. No wonder they make such a great couple. Elizabeth, or Blaze I guess, had really, _really_ grown up. I remember when she was thirteen and she was passing as a sixteen year old. It was rather funny. Her blonde hair was curled and she had on skinny jeans with a black top with a sash that made her waist look super tiny and the sleeves were kind of poofy, I guess is what you would call it. In a nutshell, she looked like a supermodel and those were the kind of girls my brother was attracted to. However, unlike most girls, Elizabeth had her own mind (unlike some of the bim- I mean, uh, girls that my bro's dated) and she could take care of herself.

"Do you at least want me to go tell the boys to come down?" Elizabeth inquired. My mom sighed and she gave Elizabeth permission to go get the boys.

**(A/N: There's a spider crawling up my wall and it's scaring the hell out of me. I'm not one to usually cuss but I'm freaking cussing this spider out and it seems to be working so I'm going against my nature and cussing this spider out. Okay, continue with the story and forget my little rampage about the spider that's scaring the hell out of me.)**

**Blaze's POV**

I walked up the steps and to Chopper's room. He and his dad were in conversation on his bed when I walked in.

"Nice room," I said. Chopper and his dad looked up.

"Thanks," Chopper replied with a smile.

"Dinner's ready and I don't know about you, but I'm starving," I told them with a smile.

"I'm with you on that one," Chopper agreed. He and his dad stood up and walked out the door.

"Melissa hasn't said anything embarrassing has she?" Chopper asked casually.

"No… not yet at least," I teased. Chopper grimaced. We walked downstairs and sat down at the dinner table. Jackson was clapping his hands adorably and I waved at him. He giggled.

"Dig in!" Mrs. Davenport, I mean mom, said. We did, without hesitation. Let's see, we had prime rib, potatoes, zucchini, Yorkshire pudding, gravy, and for dessert, Chocolate Chip Paradise pie.

"That. Was. Incredible," I declared, leaning back in my chair. Melissa had given up eating all her food a long time ago and was looking very conflicted on whether or not she should finish the pie.

"Are you going to finish that Mel?" Chopper asked, grinning.

"Don't call me that!" Melissa snapped. "And yes, I am, just so _you_ won't have it!"

"Is that any way to treat your military brother?" Chopper inquired with a smirk.

"Oh shut up," Melissa muttered, grabbing her fork and eating her pie.

"Well now, Elizabeth, wait, do you prefer to be called Elizabeth or Blaze? Because I've realized my son calls you Blaze," Mom observed.

"You can call me whatever you please," I replied.

"I'll call you Blaze," Mom decided with a smile. "You and Chopper must be tired so why don't y'all go on up and get ready for bed."

"After I help you with the dishes," I said.

"I won't hear of it child. You two go upstairs or I will have Carter force you upstairs," Mom warned. I gave in with a defeated sigh. Chopper and I excused ourselves (once we brought our dishes to the sink) and went upstairs.

I took a shower, blow dried my hair, put on a tank top and sweat pants and then got into bed. Chopper wasn't far behind me. And he was shirtless… of course. So I tried not to speak for a few minutes so as not to make a fool of myself by stammering (he was R-I-P-P-E-D!). Thankfully, I didn't have to because I fell asleep almost instantly.

Of course, I woke up at three because I had a nightmare. I carefully sat up, making sure the bed didn't creak so I wouldn't wake up Chopper. I rubbed my face and leaned against the headboard. These dreams were really making me mad because I hadn't gotten a decent sleep in weeks. They started out at random nights. Over the course of the last few weeks, they started happening every other night. Now, I have them every night. It really sucks because, well, I don't really want to say it and Chopper almost got it out of me but I don't want to scare him. I mean, he's not an easy guy to scare, trust me, but what if I told him the dreams were of him crashing into a stadium? If you were Chopper, wouldn't you be a tad freaked out if your girlfriend was having dreams of you dying? I would.

"Blaze?" Chopper turned over to face me. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, go back to sleep," I said quietly. Chopper scrunched his eyebrows and I rested my hand on his head. He gave in (he was so tired but that's what he gets for staying up for almost twenty four hours. He's a procrastinator when it comes to packing) and went back to sleep. I lay back down and after an hour or two, I fell back asleep.

**Melissa's POV**

Blaze and Chopper came down hand-in-hand in the morning; Blaze was still in her PJ's, Chopper was dressed in a plain white tee and jeans.

My husband was on a business trip and he would be back today, just in time for the party. The party! I needed to make sure Elizabeth, I mean Blaze, had an outfit!

"Hey, Blaze, do you have an outfit for the party tonight?" I asked. Blaze looked at with a confused look.

"What kind of party is it?" She asked. Blaze looked doggone tired.

"You'll need a formal or cocktail dress," I said.

"Oh yeah, I have one," Blaze said.

"Great!" I exclaimed. "You're showing it to me later."

"Deal," Blaze replied. We started eating breakfast and it was hard to finish because Chopper kept talking and talking and talking and talking and… you get my point, plus we were all laughing at what he said as well.

"Listen, I have to go run an errand. Melissa, does Jeff need a ride home or is his car at the airport?" Chopper asked.

"His car is at the airport," I said. Jeff is my husband, just so you know.

"Okay, well, I better get going. It's kind of a drive to Callisto so," Chopper said.

"What's in Callisto?" Blaze inquired.

"A surprise," Chopper replied with a mischievous grin.

"Why does it scare me when you say you have a surprise?" Blaze smirked.

"Because, I'm that type of guy that you'll never know what he's going to do… unless I tell you of course," Chopped said. "Bye sweetie."

"Bye motormouth," Blaze replied with a smile. Chopper grinned… must be some inside joke or something. Chopper got up and left after giving Blaze a kiss on the head. I made sure he was gone before I said, "You know my brother is wrapped completely around your fingers, right?"

Blaze blushed profusely.

**Blaze's POV**

I helped Mrs. Davenport and Melissa clean the house while Mr. Davenport had quickly opted to go shopping for the food. When he left, us girls laughed at his willingness because the truth was, there was more shopping to be done than cleaning. In fact, we were done cleaning in an hour and Mr. Davenport came home an hour later. He was rather shocked to see all of us lounging around in a spotless house. We helped him carry in the groceries and Mrs. Davenport went upstairs to take a shower. The party started at four, so we had… four hours left. Melissa and I played a game of scrabble, I beat her the first time, and she beat me the second time, and then we messed up our scores the third time so we were tied. When Mrs. Davenport was done with her shower, Melissa went next and then I went. I took a quick one because I still had to blow dry my hair and force Mrs. Davenport to let me help her with _something_ and that would take an hour itself. So, I blow dried my hair and went downstairs to see everyone crowded around the TV.

"What's going on?" I questioned, coming up behind them. I looked at the TV and my stomach dropped.

"The bridge leading to Callisto collapsed about ten minutes ago, dropping at least twenty cars in the river. Two people are still missing, there are a few casualties, but none are thought to be fatal. More in a bit. Back to you Travis," The news reporter said. I stared at the screen, my thoughts racing.

"Has Chopper called?" I asked.

"Fifteen minutes ago, he said he was five minutes away from the bridge," Melissa replied solemnly. I backed up and took out my cell phone. I went to my contacts list, went to Chopper's name, and hit the call button. My phone rang… and rang… and rang… and rang until voicemail came on. I tried again and still no answer. I tried about ten times to reach him and he still didn't pick up. Melissa and her parents were desperately trying to reach him too but he didn't pick up for them either. I was getting frantic. Mrs. Davenport and Melissa went into the kitchen while Mr. Davenport called the police and asked for any news pertaining to the people injured. He went to his office and started shouting. I just stared dazed at the TV. Finally, I decided to go upstairs to Chopper's room and lay down. After a few minutes, I turned his TV on and watched the news for more information on the bridge. One of the missing people had been found and was on their way to the hospital. Although, one person was still missing… and it was a male.

"Hey Blaze." I turned around and there was Chopper, shutting the door and taking off his jacket.

"CHOPPER!" I exclaimed, rushing up to him and hugging him.

"Hey! What a pleasant greeting this is!" Chopper laughed, swinging me around.

"I was so damn worried about you," I murmured. Chopper released me so he could look at me.

"Why?" He looked worried. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"No, I'm fine. You didn't hear?"

"No," Chopper said.

"The bridge leading to Callisto collapsed. A person is still missing. It's a male, I thought it was you," I explained. Chopper's face turned grim.

"I was on that bridge thirty minutes ago… it must've collapsed right after I got off of it," Chopped said quietly.

"Why didn't you pick up your cell?" I inquired.

"It died. I don't know why seeing as how I charged it last night and all," Chopper said.

"Have you said hi to your parents?"

"No, they were all crowded around the TV so I didn't want to bother them," Chopper explained.

"Go say hi to them. They've been worried sick." Chopper gave me a quick kiss before heading downstairs. I could hear the three of them shouting his name. I smiled. Thank god he was safe! He came back upstairs and told me that Melissa had told him to tell me to go to Melissa's room with my dress and shoes and makeup. I laughed and did as I was told. Once I had grabbed my stuff, and headed to Melissa's room.

"There you are!" Melissa exclaimed.

"I'm here," I said with a smile.

"Great! I'm going to torture my brother for not having his phone charged and what better way than to have his girlfriend in my room when I can say so many embarrassing things?"

"Oh dear, poor Chopper!" I laughed.

"Come on, let's get ready. The guests will be here in an hour and I don't know about you but it takes me _forever_ to get ready!" Melissa exclaimed.

"Don't worry, me too!" I agreed. We started with our makeup and that took about twenty minutes. I got into my dress no problem. It was white at the top and dark blue on the bottom. However, we had problems with Melissa's dress. The zipper kept getting stuck and it was because the zipper kept getting caught on the fabric of the dress. Finally, after ten minutes, we got the zipper unstuck and zipped the dress up. Then, we moved onto our hair, which we decided to curl. Melissa, unlike Chopper, had chocolate brown hair and I must admit I loved her hair color. But I also like being a blonde… mainly because we actually have an excuse when we do something stupid… besides, blondes have more fun anyways. It took us twenty-five minutes to curl our hair (yes, twenty-five minutes. That's what we get for having long hair) and then we put on our shoes. I had some silvery beige stilettos on with some bluish-purplish jewels going down the middle. Melissa had on black peep toe stilettos.

"Melissa! Jeff's here!" Chopper shouted. Melissa leapt up and started running for the door. I finished putting my on necklace, bracelet and earrings. Then I headed downstairs. Chopper was in a suit and he looked super sharp. He turned to me and he grinned.

"You look beautiful," He whispered as he hugged me.

"Thanks. You look handsome yourself," I replied.

"Come on; it's time for you to meet Jeff." Chopper led me by my hand to the kitchen where a man had his arm wrapped around Melissa and she was beaming.

"Blaze! This is my hubby Jeff and Jeff, this is Blaze, Chopper's girlfriend," Melissa introduced. Jeff came over and shook my hand.

"Nice to meet you, Blaze," Jeff greeted.

"Nice to meet you too, Jeff," I replied. The doorbell rang and the party began.

**Chopper's POV**

The night was passing by and Blaze and I had barely seen each other (mainly because all the men were hitting on her. Even my friends were! Well, until she told them I was her boyfriend). We all had dinner and then chatted some more. Finally, I decided to see if I could see my girlfriend after three hours of just glimpses of her. I scanned the crowd for Blaze. I didn't know about her but I was kind of tired of the loud noise. I finally found her, flanked by my friends Jared and Jensen. They were brothers.

"Hey Blaze," I greeted, coming up behind her and putting my arm around her waist.

"Hey Chopper," Blaze replied, putting her head on my shoulder.

"Well, if you fellas won't mind, I'm going to spend some time with my girlfriend," I said.

"Oh come on, dude. You can't have all the fun!" Jensen protested.

"Yeah I can," I said, smirking and leading Blaze outside after getting our coats.

"Thank you," Blaze said.

"For what?"

"For getting me away from Jensen." Blaze laughed.

"Yeah, he can be quite annoying," I said.

"Where are we going?" Blaze asked.

"Come on, I'll show you." I walked over towards the hammock in the woods. Far enough away from the house that people wouldn't know what we were doing. Carefully, Blaze and I got on the hammock because we really didn't want to tip over. Blaze cuddled up to me and I put my arm around her. The air was chilly, the sky was gray (it looked like it was going to snow) and we could hear the music coming from my house, but it was still pretty relaxing.

"Blaze?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Always," Blaze replied, shifting her head to look at me. I sat up and adjusted myself. My heart was pounding. It always does when I'm about to do something that could change my life. Blaze looked at me curiously and sat up too, leaning on her right arm. I took the box out of pocket and I opened it. Inside was a ring with a sapphire in the center flanked by two brilliant diamonds. Blaze's eyes were wide and her mouth was open.

"Elizabeth Blaze Banks, will you marry me?"

**Hamilton's POV**

I walked to my office and slammed the door shut. I had needed to do this for a long time but I hadn't been able to with the Wardog Squadron around. Hell, it still wasn't good for me to be doing it with Pops still being here. I sat down at my computer and went into the files of everyone on base. I logged in and clicked the link to all the squadrons stationed on Sand Island, I scanned the page, clicked on the Wardog Squadron and tried to decide on whom to check first. I thought about it and finally decided to check Blaze… she was the leader of the Wardog Squadron and pretty much the leader of the girls in the "gang" they had, or the alpha female. I would check Chopper next since he was alpha male. I clicked on Blaze's profile.

**Elizabeth "Blaze" Banks:**

**Age: 24**

**Height: 5'8"  
Weight: 130 lbs  
Hair: Blonde  
Eye Color: Hazel  
Blood Type: O  
Birthday: June 21, 1986  
Hometown: Aurora, Osea  
Current City: Osea Springs, Osea  
Family: Daughter of Mark and Lisa Banks. Older brother named Albert Genette Banks. Uncle is Jason Banks- ex military, Air Force pilot, mercenary, fought in Belkan War, disappeared afterwards.  
Notes: Clever and tenacious. Able to adapt instantly to any situation. Flying is smooth but can be very unpredictable.**

Blaze had an uncle? And he was a mercenary that disappeared after the Belkan War? That seemed very… odd. And I'm no fan of anything odd. Something was going on in her family history and I intended to find out what, but first, I had to check on everyone else. I clicked out of Blaze's profile and moved onto Chopper's.****

Alvin "Chopper" Davenport:  
Age: 26

**Height: 6'1"  
Weight: 170lbs  
Hair: Blonde  
Eye Color: Blue  
Blood Type: B  
Birthday: April 1, 1984  
Hometown: Palmer, Osea  
Current City: Osea Springs, Osea  
Family: Son of Carter and Allison Davenport. Has one sister, Melissa (older) and brother in law, Jeff (lawyer). One nephew, Jackson.  
Notes: Smooth flyer, can adapt to battle changes fairly quickly, but has a tendency to shoot his mouth off.**

Isn't that the truth about him shooting his mouth off? And his birthday is April 1? April Fool's Day? That's some irony for you. He worried me. I'm not sure why, but he does. I had to watch him. I decided to go to Blaze's brother, Genette, so I clicked out of Chopper's profile and went to Genette's. He was like the second in command.****

Albert Genette Banks:  
Age: 26

**Height: 5'11"  
Weight: 155**

**Hair: Brown  
Eye Color: Hazel  
Blood Type: O  
Birthday: March 19, 1984  
Hometown: Aurora, Osea  
Current City: Osea Springs, Osea  
Family: Son of Mark and Lisa Banks. One sibling, sister, Elizabeth "Blaze" Banks (younger and is in the Air Force). One uncle, Jason Banks (more information in Blaze's profile).  
Notes: A freelance journalist with extensive knowledge about the military and military planes and politics. Incredibly smart.**

No kidding about Genette being smart. He was a freaking genius. It was weird. Genette had the brains and Blaze seemed to have the intuition. Those two must be unstoppable in competitions together… I moved on to Nagase since she seemed to be second in command to Blaze.

**Kei "Edge" Nagase  
Age: 24  
Height: 5'6"  
Weight: 122 lbs  
Hair: Black  
Eye Color: Brown  
Blood Type: A  
Birthday: January 18, 1986  
Hometown: Grand Rapids, Osea  
Current City: Aurora, Osea  
Notes: Good at reading battle situations and good at predicting an enemy's next move. Has low confidence in leadership skills but good flyer overall.**

Nagase did always have problems in leadership but she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. She believed in the President. What she that… oblivious? Doesn't she realize that the President would never have escalated the war like this? Shaking my head, I moved on to Grimm's profile.****

Hans "Archer" Grimm:  
Age: 25  
Height: 5'10"  
Weight: 147 lbs  
Hair: Brown  
Eye Color: Green  
Blood Type: AB  
Birthday: January 5, 1985  
Hometown: Scarlet, Osea  
Current City: Scarlet, Osea  
Family: Son of Greg and Mary Grimm. No siblings.  
Notes: Good flyer, good at following orders, adapts very quickly to changes in battle. Can be a little predictable in his flying.

Yeah, they forgot annoying too. That guy annoyed the hell out of me. It probably had something to do with him dating Cassie whom I happened to date one time and seeing how well he gets along with her when all she and I did was fight, it annoyed me. I rolled my eyes and moved on to Cassie.****

Cassie "Venus" Petersen:  
Age: 24  
Height: 5'6"  
Weight: 128 lbs  
Hair: Blonde  
Eye Color: Blue  
Blood Type: A  
Birthday: May 15, 1986  
Hometown: Harrison, Osea  
Current City: Aurora, Osea  
Notes: Control tower worker but is in training to become a RIO. Good knowledge of planes and flying patterns. Can be somewhat unreliable.

Yeah, unreliable is a good word. I stared at the computer screen. How is it that Blaze, the youngest of any of the people I just looked up, was the _captain_ of the Wardog Squadron? Blaze unnerved me. She was inquisitive, intelligent, and intuitive, a deadly combination if they're you're enemy.

"Hamilton, I need you for a minute," Pops came in and I quickly exited out of Cassie's profile.

"I'm coming," I said. Pops looked at me warily. He never has trusted me and it's made my job much harder than it should be. Of course, the Wardog Squad wasn't helping either. I got up and walked out of the room. One thing was for certain. I needed to dig up some more information on Blaze's uncle.

**Alright, I promised you guys that I would give a summary of the story: Chopper pops the question to Blaze and Hamilton digs up info on the Wardog Squad.**

**So how did you like it? That spider disappeared and I'm a little paranoid right now. Oh, and if there are **_**any**_** girls reading this, if you want to see Blaze's dress, go to my profile and follow my instructions on there. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up. I'm starting to get writer's block and I'm thinking on writing two more stories which I really shouldn't considering I'm writing five different stories. Anyways, see you in the next chapter (and hopefully I won't see that spider…)**


	15. Demons of Razgriz

**Hey y'all! Well, I realized, thank you to some readers of mine, that I forgot to add in a question. So, this question has absolutely nothing to do with Ace Combat at all but here it is: What is one of three holidays for July 22, 2011? You will find the three answers to be quite… odd, especially one of them. Anyways, hoped you liked the last chapter. I tried to avoid the mushy-gushy chapter because I'm 99.99% sure that all guys are reading this and I know (most) guys don't like that kind of stuff. Now, I'm a girl so I'm not sure how to write military stories so if I'm impoliticly correct in some aspects, let me know please :)**

**So, here you go! The next chapter! (By the way, that spider hasn't appeared in my room again ever since I cussed it out. I have found a cure to keeping spiders out of my room!)**

* * *

Chapter 15: Demons of Razgriz

**Blaze**

Chopper and I left for Sand Island on the twelfth. I couldn't believe I was engaged! Engaged! Chopper and I decided on the way back to base that we wouldn't breathe a word to our engagement to anybody. They had to figure it out themselves. Nagase, Grimm, and Cassie were kind of oblivious. I bet I could shine the ring right in their eyes and they wouldn't notice. Genette knew of the engagement because Chopper had asked him for permission for my hand in marriage which I find very gentlemanly.

When we arrived at Sand Island, Genette, Nagase, Grimm, and Cassie were already there. Chopper and I grinned at each other. We hugged our friends and headed back inside… where we were immediately put in the air by Hamilton to train. That git. Oh well, Sand Island _still_ didn't trust us after our tenth mission which I found incredibly stupid. Hamilton acted strange around us, especially me. I wasn't quite sure why. Anyways, Genette and Cassie were RIO's again and this time it ended up being me against Nagase. I ended up beating her. We flew down for dinner and when we were finished and had a thirty minute break, we were back up in the sky practicing once again. And, the whole time, no one figured out that Chopper and I were engaged. Chopper and I found it rather hilarious!

The next day, Hamilton had us up in the air at six in the morning, meaning I had to wake up at five thirty which sucked. As I told you before, I'm not a morning person. We had a light breakfast at eight and then went straight back up in the air fifteen minutes later. We flew until one and had a late lunch and yeah, went right back in the air where we stayed until dinner and went back afterwards and were finally allowed to land at nine. We were all so exhausted I didn't care that none of the gang noticed the ring, although I still found it humorous that they _still_ hadn't noticed.

* * *

**November 14, 2010…**

**Genette**

We were in the crew room. The clock said it was six-ten in the morning and my sister was practically asleep on Chopper's shoulder. Nagase and I were sitting in chairs, Cassie was asleep in her room, and Grimm was leaning on the back of a chair.

Despite the hectic mood among the staff at HQ, the start of the briefing was delayed. But the weary pilots, knowing full well that they must force their exhausted bodies back into the air once the order was given (Hamilton had been working them mercilessly the last two days and they were completely exhausted), weren't the slightest bit disturbed by the delay.

"Hey… what are you writing there?" Grimm asked Nagase. I looked over and saw her writing in a book with a red cover. It looked vaguely familiar.

"I just can't remember the next phrase…" Nagase murmured.

"Here, lemme see," Chopper said, leaning over to take the book from Nagase.

"Hey!" Nagase exclaimed, swatting away Chopper's hand. Nagase looked back at her book and said, "The princess couldn't feed the dove that day. She was too sick."

"May I take a look?..." Grimm inquired.

"… Razgriz," Chopper said. "The Demon of Razgriz got her, right?"

"You know the story?" Nagase looked kind of shocked. Blaze opened her eyes, watching Nagase and Chopper.

"The demon from the north sea! I remember my grandma used to tell me bedtime stories about it. And every time she did, I'd be too scared to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night."

"Uhh…" Nagase looked at Chopper with an amused smirk. Blaze was smiling.

"Settle down people!" A commander ordered. Grimm, who had been standing the whole time, sat down and we waited for the briefing to begin.

I knew a little about the famous legend, too. When history witnesses a great change, Razgriz reveals itself… first, as a dark demon. As a demon, it uses its power to rain death upon the land, and then it dies. However, after a period of slumber, Razgriz returns.

* * *

**Nagase**

The Base Commander (who Blaze admitted calling him the Bagel Commander… not to his face though) cleared his throat and said, "Ahem, gentlemen…"

However, he was cut off by a visiting staff advisor from central HQ. "Excuse me, Colonel… This is an absolutely vital mission to us. As the staff advisor from Central HQ for this effort, I'd like to explain it myself. The Osean Army is planning a vast offensive with the ultimate objective of occupying the capital of Yuktobania. If this operation succeeds, it will end the war in very short order. However, the Yuktobanians have attacked out beachhead with ballistic missiles from the Hrimfaxi, a Scinfaxi-class submersible carrier stationed in the ice waters of the Razgriz Straits. Fortunately, our ground forces had already completed attack preparations, so despite the missile attack the offensive began as planned. Nevertheless, we must neutralize the threat of another Hrimfaxi missile attack on our ground forces."

Man did that guy talk a lot… Our regular briefer came on and explained some more. "We have a single chance to stage a successful air attack on the underwater carrier Hrimfaxi. Our passive sonar has detected a transport submarine that we believe is headed for the Hrimfaxi. We believe the transport sub's mission is to supply the Hrimfaxi with missiles. Based on its course and speed, we've calculated its rendezvous time with the Hrimfaxi. By amazing coincidence, it is precisely the same time as the zero hour of our ground attack. At this time, the Hrimfaxi will have to surface to restock its missiles. At that exact moment, ingress at low altitude to avoid detection, launch a surprise attack, and sink the Hrimfaxi. Once surfaced, it only takes the Hrimfaxi one minute to rig for an emergency dive. If your approach is detected, you will only have one minute to complete your attack on the Hrimfaxi.

Operation: Long Harpoon  
Location: Razgriz Straits  
Date: 2010/11/14  
Time: 0615 HRS.

The Central HQ staff advisor cleared his throat and said, "Now, keep in mind there won't be any support from Arkbird this time around. This mission rests solely on your shoulders. The entire ground offensive is relying on this first surprise attack, so don't disappoint us. I want you to turn the icy Razgriz Straits into the enemy's graveyard."

I had never seen someone so passionate about destroying the enemy. Geez…

We walked out of the briefing room and to the hangar where Blaze chose our planes. She chose the Tornado-GR.1 because they were fast, maneuverable and their special weapon was a bomblet dispenser, meaning it releases several mini bombs at once. Once we had taken off and did a mid-air refueling, we flew to the icy Razgriz Straits.

When we arrived to the strait, I started getting chills… and it had nothing to do with the twenty below temperature and thirty below wind chill.

"Wardog, stay at low altitude and fly towards the submarine fleet," Thunderhead ordered. "You are restricted from flying above one thousand feet. We can't risk having our surprise attack detected."

"No shitake Sherlock," Blaze retorted under her breath.

"I'm getting chills. This northern sea is where the Demon of Razgriz came from," Chopper acknowledged.

"Geez, now you're giving me chills!" Blaze remarked.

"Razgriz…" I murmured.

"Heh. There's no way that coulda been the Razgriz," Chopper said. My mind went back to the Scinfaxi. It certainly had seemed like the Razgriz at the time but it obviously wasn't anymore. I started to wonder: who was the Razgriz in this war?

"Man, just knowing the temperature outside is giving me the chills. How can it get so cold? Is that even normal?" Grimm queried.

"Hold you chatter. Commencing comm out procedures shortly. Maintain radio silence," Thunderhead commanded. Ooh, that's rough for Chopper seeing as how he can't keep his trap shut for more than five seconds.

"Guess I'll cut off the mic and try talking to myself," Chopper said.

"Good luck with that one hun," Blaze replied.

Hun? Did Blaze just call Chopper "hun"? Something was different about those two. They acted more like husband and wife now than boyfriend and girlfriend. I wondered why. Surely they would've told us that they were engaged… right?

Well, anyways, Blaze ordered us to get above each other. I'll explain. Blaze went to an altitude of twenty feet, Chopper went above her at another twenty feet, then I went above Chopper twenty feet and Grimm went above me twenty feet. I knew why Blaze was doing this. First, it would be harder to detect us if we flew in the same place. Second, it would look like one plane instead of four, another thing that could help with surprise attacks. Third, the enemy might think it's a reconnaissance mission instead of an assault because it would look like one plane on their radar. Blaze was brilliant when it came to stuff like this. Blaze started speeding up and we all started going faster… 500 miles an hour… 600 miles an hour… 700 miles an hour… 800…900…1000… We were zipping over the white snow that lay on top of a thick sheet of ice. We were going so fast and that's when the first enemy picket sub appeared on screen. I knew Blaze would have a lock on it so we kept heading towards it. When we got close enough, the atmosphere changed, I could feel it. Something was wrong. Blaze fired two missiles at the sub and we continued on our way to the Hrimfaxi.

"This is Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell, the advisor to HQ. That picket submarine just sent off an enemy-detection notice. The Hrimfaxi's gonna dive in one minute. Attack immediately!" he barked. So the enemy knew we were coming. Hopefully the sub had just looked at their radar and saw one plane instead of four. At least then we would still have some element of surprise.

"Hey, our cover's blown anyway. I'm gonna start talking now!" Chopper declared airily.

"It was killing you not to talk, wasn't it?" Blaze laughed.

"A little…"

"I knew it. Maintain current formation."

"Enemy plane! Halt all resupply operations!" the Hrimfaxi captain shouted.

"Enemy plane? We're still in the middle of our mission!" A Yuke pointed out angrily.

"Wait! There's four! Damn! They tricked us!" the Hrimfaxi informed.

"Four?!" An enemy sub demanded. "Dammit! How did they smell us out?!"

At least we had still surprised the enemy somewhat. Blaze's ingenious plan had worked! She really was brilliant; you have to agree with me on that one.

"So what interesting conversations did you have Chopper?" I inquired, trailing closely behind Blaze.

"First of all, do we want to know?" Grimm said drolly.

"Well if you want to know that I was going to put shaving cream in your bed sheets tonight then yes, you do want to know," Chopper answered seriously.

"Hey!"

"Well, at least you know now Grimm," I said.

"You do that and I'll put itching powder in your sheets," Grimm countered.

"You wouldn't dare…" Chopper trailed off.

"You bet I would."

"Then I would have to sleep with Blaze and Genette would blame you because you'd be the reason I was sleeping with Blaze in the first place and he would do much worse than put shaving cream in your bed sheets."

"That's… a good point," Grimm admitted.

"Exactly," Chopper told him triumphantly. Chopper was good at stumping people. And yes, it would be true that Genette would probably do something much worse than shaving cream in the bed sheets… Hold on a tick, why wasn't Blaze telling Chopper that he wouldn't sleep with her? Unless they had slept together while they went to his house… Oh my god! It all makes sense now! They're engaged! How the hell did I miss that?! They weren't calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend anymore, they acted more like they were married than if they were dating, and I saw a ring on Blaze's ring finger but I didn't think anything of it because I was so doggone tired! Was I _that_ oblivious?! Geez! The rest of the gang didn't notice it either! They were just as oblivious as I was!

"When's the wedding?!" I blurted. I did not just do that…

"Nagase, what are you talking about?" Grimm asked curiously.

"Ask Blaze and Chopper."

"Blaze, Chopper, do you two have _any _idea what Nagase is talking about?" I heard Blaze and Chopper cracking up over the mic.

"Nagase, you're asking me when I'm getting married during a critical mission?" Blaze questioned.

"Woah! You're getting married? To whom?!" Grimm demanded.

"Hey y'all, it's Genette. I snatched the mic away from Mitchell real quick. Congratulations little sister!"

"Grimm, you're _seriously _asking who Blaze is marrying?" Chopper asked incredulously. I saw Blaze fly down and fire two missiles at the Hrimaxi. A small explosion happened.

"Halt the resupply! Prepare for immediate dive! Hurry up! We gotta dive before the enemy does!" A Yuke submarine urged.

"Stupid question… Congratulations!" Grimm cheered.

"Genette again, had to wrestle Mitchell for the mic again. Cassie's screaming and is saying congratulations," he said in amusement. I laughed because I could hear Cassie clear as day in the background and I was definitely awake now. I was still in shock that Blaze and Chopper were engaged and that _none_ of us knew about it. Well, Genette seemed like he did.

"Blaze, Genette, and I were the only ones that knew. Genette knew because I asked him if I could marry Blaze," Chopper explained.

"That's so sweet!" I exclaimed.

"We were in the hammock when I proposed so naturally, Blaze fell out of the hammock from shock and then she accepted, then it started snowing, we went back to the party, and around twelve, when everyone was leaving, they couldn't because we were snowed in so we had to make beds for about fifty people… that's not an easy task.

"You fell out of the hammock, Blaze?" I chuckled.

"Oh shut up!" she snapped lightly. I cracked up as we flew around, looking for enemy submarines. The Hrimfaxi had dove beneath the dark waters and we couldn't see it.

"Those bastards are diving!" Chopper observed.

"Well that's not nice," Blaze mused.

"Congratulations you two! That's great!" Grimm chirped.

"Thanks Grimm," Blaze and Chopper replied cheerfully at the same time.

"This is Submarine Squadron Command. Emergency report from our ground forces in the front line," A Yuke said. "The enemy is undertaking a large-scale offensive. Attack the enemy forces with long-range missiles from the Hrimfaxi. Urgent! Transmitting target coordinates!"

"This is Hrimfaxi. We cannot comply. We're unable to launch missiles underwater due to battle damage."

"Suckers!" Blaze said.

"What's the point of your existence if you don't fire now?! They're penetrating our defense lines as we speak!" The Yuke command shouted. Blaze was flying towards the outer edge of the circle and I saw an enemy submarine blip disappear on my radar. The sun was rising but it still seemed so dark out. I wondered if the legend of the Demon of Razgriz was true. My family, while we didn't believe in most legends, my family did believe in the Razgriz. I didn't know what to think about it.

"Well, then, keep talking. Makes our job easier if y'all don't do anything," Chopper noted.

"Hurry up before they overrun our allies!" The Yuke hollered.

"Emergency surface! Grab on to something!" The Hrimfaxi captain ordered anxiously. "Once we break the surface, launch the missiles and unmanned drones!"

I circled the island that the Hrimfaxi was docked at. I couldn't see anything in the icy depths of the water but I kept imagining I saw a woman with a black helmet with red feathers in the reflection of the water. That's what they get for working us so hard. Now I'm getting delusional. Just wonderful…

Then I saw an antenna poke above the water. It was the Hrimfaxi. It was surfacing! Oh my god!

"The Hrimfaxi's antenna has appeared above water. It's surfacing!" I announced excitedly. Blaze was coming over to the Hrimfaxi's area at supersonic speed while I watched, along with Grimm and Chopper, the Hrimfaxi surfacing. It was massive! It was about the same size as the Scinfaxi, maybe a tad smaller. It was certainly capable of everything the Scinfaxi could do but that made sense seeing as how is was a Scinfaxi-class submersible.

"Hrimfaxi launching burst missiles!" Thunderhead informed.

"Launching carrier jets," The Hrimfaxi said.

The Hrimfaxi was completely surfaced by the time Blaze got there and the sub already got blasted by some of her missiles. Unfortunately, the Hrimfaxi, I realized, had some missile launchers itself along with some AA guns so we would have to avoid getting hit by those… lovely.

"This is Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell, the adviser to HQ."

"He has to say that after Genette swiped the mic from him," Blaze told us, sounding humored.

"I'm getting your info in real-time from our tracker satellite," Mitchell said.

"I feel like I'm being stalked," Chopper muttered.

"In a way, you are," Grimm pointed out.

"Time your attacks to hit the Hrimfaxi when it surfaces," Mitchell said. "Sink it before it deals any more damage to our ground forces."

"Oh, no kidding. We had _no_ clue we were supposed to be doing that. Thank you for clearing that up," Chopper retorted.

"Shut up and engage Lieutenant!" Mitchell barked.

"I am engaged and in more ways than one might I add," Chopper bantered.

"I so saw that one coming and Mitchell, I can tell my own wingmen to shut up," Blaze told him somewhat flippantly.

"First Lieutenant Elizabeth Banks, don't you mouth off to me!" Mitchell warned.

"I wasn't, I was just telling you a fact." Ooh, Blaze just told Mitchell off. I found that hilarious. Ever since Sand Island stopped trusting us after our tenth mission, Blaze had been more, what's the word? Bold? She didn't care whether she insulted the top brass as long as she protected her wingmen. That was very important to her and I had a feeling it was because of Bartlett and his influence because he had been the same way.

"Hrimfaxi! You're dealing lethal damage to the Osean Army. Give it one more shot! Drive 'em back to the coastline," A Yuke encouraged.

"Nah, we're gonna stick around," Chopper said nonchalantly.

"They might think they snuck up on us, but they're dead wrong," A Yuke Sub guy snarled. Uh, we did sneak up on them; they were just too wimpy to admit it. They had thought it was one plane but it was really four and that scared the hell out of them which I found amusing. My question was, and I know it's late to ask this, but why did the President escalate the war when he cut our defense budget? That didn't make any sense. Politics is so confusing sometimes… How does Genette follow it so well? He's a freaking genius, that's how, but hey, that's why I love him.

Grimm and I came from opposite directions and let some bomblets fall towards the Hrimfaxi. It was kind of cool to see the bomblets explode on the water because it looked like very big rain drops… or hail. Chopper and Blaze did the same thing. I couldn't help but notice how… in sync we were with each other. When one of us was done firing, another one of us would be firing right after. I knew if I said something about "in sync," Chopper would make some wiseass comment about the band NSYNC so I kept my mouth shut.

"All this damage from four planes?! How is this possible?!" A Yuke cried.

The Hrimfaxi disappeared beneath the water again and the four of us flew in circles. I had to admit, seeing four planes like us flying in a near perfect circle, I think it was safe to say the enemy was scared. We were the reason the Scinfaxi was in the bottom of the ocean and now we were attacking the Hrimfaxi.

"What the hell's going on?! Are the Oseans using some kind of black magic?!" The Hrimfaxi asked.

"I can't stand how HQ treats us like errand boys!" Another Yuke mumbled.

"I can't believe I'm actually going to agree with the enemy on something," Chopper admitted.

"Don't go to the dark side Chopper. They don't have cookies," Grimm admonished jokingly.

"I think Blaze would kill me before she'd let me go to the dark side," Chopper decided.

"No, I'd just chain you up and put you in a room with Jar Jar Binks," Blaze said.

"I'd rather stop talking for the rest of my life," he admitted.

"Oh I'd like to see that one," I said.

"I think Chopper could give Jar Jar Binks a run for his money," Grimm mused.

"Put me in with Leia or Padme," Chopper requested mischievously.

"Excuse me?" Blaze asked, sounding unimpressed.

"They could use their husbands to get them out and then I could get out along with them," Chopper explained quickly.

"Nice save Chopper," Blaze complimented.

"Why are we talking about _Star Wars_ right now?" Grimm questioned.

"Grimm, you started it with the dark side talk and cookies. Damn, cookies sound really good right now," Chopper commented.

Have I mentioned I absolutely love my friends? Only we could have a conversation pertaining to _Star Wars_ in the middle of an epic and critical mission and still get work done. I'm sure the people on base listening to our conversation were thinking we had finally cracked but we were nowhere near it. I think the only thing that would make one of us crack is if one of died but I don't think that will happen because we won't let it.

Since we were waiting for the Hrimfaxi to surface again, we decided to go after the UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). They were fast little suckers. They're like the ACVs of the air. Remember the mission where we were helping the SSTO launch and there were those annoying ACVs everywhere? Well, yeah, the UAVs are the ACVs of the air because they're wicked fast devils but thankfully they're not that hard to destroy, the only problem is getting your missile to hit the target. I fired two missiles at a UAV but they both missed. What did I tell you? They're little devils. Blaze, of course, shot one down on the first try, same with Chopper, Grimm was in the same boat as me.

"Ballast tanks damaged! Unable to submerge!" the Hrimfaxi announced.

"Take that you demon!" Chopper shouted.

"Forget it! We'll just have to deal with them above the surface!" the Hrimfaxi informed.

"The Hrimfaxi has stopped its dive! We've damaged it!" Grimm cheered.

"When it surfaces, we'll all head towards it at once and let loose one of our special weapons. You with me?" Blaze asked.

"Loud and clear," Chopper replied.

"Got it," I said.

"The Hrimfaxi's got a barrier of picket submarines around it!" Grimm noted.

"Destroy them if you can. The more we destroy, the less the enemy has," Blaze remarked.

"It's like the enemy's gathered all its submarines in one place," Grimm said.

"It's a parade!" Chopper claimed randomly.

"A parade?" Blaze repeated.

"He's cracked," Grimm decided.

"All the picket subs are following the Hrimfaxi so it's like a parade. Now if only they would get all close together so we could blow them up all at once and go home," Chopper said.

"That would be what I would call an epic day!" I declared.

"Hrimfaxi launching burst missile! Wardog, it's headed your way! Climb! Zoom to above five thousand feet!" Thunderhead shouted. Seriously?! They had to launch a burst missile?! Well wasn't that just… dandy. Sure, I had been thinking that they might have a burst missile but I had been really hoping that they wouldn't. Why couldn't President Harling and Prime Minister Nikanor create a peace treaty or something and get this war stopped? Sure, I know that Yuktobania started the war and now that Osea was beating them, neither country wanted to stop fighting because Yuktobania started the war and doesn't want to lose it and Osea is winning the war and wants to prove that we can win the war. It makes no damn sense to me. I couldn't help but think "Don't both countries want this war to end?"

"Sink the Hrimfaxi and those burst missiles will go away, too," Grimm said.

"Let's get this over with," Blaze urged. It was rather unnecessary the urging but I knew why she was doing it.

"Did he just say zoom?" Chopper inquired.

"Yeah, why?"

"I don't know, zoom sounds kind of corny."

"I know what you mean," Grimm agreed.

"What should he have said?" I queried.

"Get to above five thousand feet," Chopper answered immediately.

"What's the difference?" I wrangled, not seeing any difference in the two statements whatsoever.

"It doesn't sound like we're in some air combat war game or something," he retorted.

"I still don't see the difference…" Blaze muttered.

"Thank you!" I exclaimed, before adding, "Attacking again. Heads up for enemy missiles."

We all 'zoomed' to about five thousand five hundred feet before we leveled out and waited for the burst missile to explode. Blaze and Chopper teamed up in trying to get a UAV and they shot it down within a few seconds. Grimm and I kept the other UAVs off of Chopper and Blaze's tail.

"Ten seconds to impact," Thunderhead said. "…Five, four, three, two, bursting now!"

The burst missile exploded and the flash of light blinded me for a few seconds causing me to make a hairpin turn to avoid a missile that had been shot at me by a UAV. Grimm came and saved my butt while Blaze and Chopper were already back down and attacking the Hrimfaxi.

"What's the matter?! I thought this was the world's best fleet!" one of the Hrimfaxi's guys demanded.

"I know, I know! I'm not gonna let them fly up there for long!" his comrade claimed heatedly.

"Doesn't appear so now, now does it?" Blaze remarked bluntly.

"I'm surprised you haven't sung any _Top Gun_ songs Blaze. You haven't sung any in a while," Chopper mused.

"Oh I have, you've just been too busy talking to hear it," she said.

"Yeah I heard her, I just didn't say anything," I affirmed.

"Do I seriously talk that much?" Chopper questioned, sounding genuinely surprised.

"Yes!" Grimm, Blaze, and I shouted simultaneously.

"Geez, no need to be so quick on answering that!"

"It's the truth," Grimm admitted. I could just see Chopper rolling his eyes.

The four of us had sent tons of missiles at the Hrimfaxi and I was starting to see the damage. That meant it had to be pretty severe the damage if I was able to see it now but it should've been, I mean, we'd been attacking it long enough.

"The Hrimfaxi's taken a fair amount of damage too!" I informed excitedly. Hey, I wanted to get back to base and get some sleep. Of course, no one needed sleep as much as Blaze but knowing her, she'd brush off any comment about her lack of sleep and her lethargic attitude lately.

"Hrimfaxi launching burst missile!" Thunderhead yelled.

"Really?! Again?! Sheesh!" Chopper grumbled.

"Y'all know what to do," Blaze said. Blaze sighed over the mic. She sounded tired. I couldn't _imagine_ why, I mean, Hamilton had us up in the air for over half the day and then we were kept awake when we weren't in the air and we had to get up at four or five in the morning since we arrived and it was horrible. It was thanks to Chopper that Blaze was able to get up this morning because he knew that making her tea with lots and lots of sugar and caffeine would help wake her up. None of the rest of us knew that. I wondered whether Hamilton knew how exhausted we were and if he did, why he kept sending us up. It was like he _wanted_ to exhaust us. Why would he do that though? He was on our side and the worst thing to have is an exhausted, overworked pilot. He of all people should know that.

"Demons that rain death from above… This is nuts!" A Yuke protested to no one particular.

"They're not seriously thinking that this is the Razgriz legend are they?" Blazez said.

"I'm not about to let some demons decide our fate!" A Hrimfaxi guy claimed passionately.

"Uh, I think they do seeing as how they're calling us demons and whatnot,  
Chopper answered.

"Ten seconds to impact!" Thunderhead admonished.

"I find it a strange coincidence that they're referring us as the Razgriz demon incarnates when we're in the Razgriz Straits," I remarked.

"Five, four, three, two, bursting, now!" Thunderhead finished the countdown. I endured the blinding light and shaking of my plane once again. It was getting old all the burst missiles. Old and annoying. I flew down towards the Hrimfaxi once again and started firing. The damn thing just needed to be destroyed already.

"I agree with Nagase. It is odd that they're referring us as demons when we're in the Razgriz Straits, when, in fact, the strait was named after a demon," Grimm said.

"I had _no clue_ that they named the strait after a demon Grimm. Thanks for the history lesson," Chopper told him sarcastically.

"I'm just pointing it out that the strait was named after a demon and we're being called demons in a place named after a demon."

"Come to think of it, yeah… it is weird," Blaze admitted.

"Fine, so maybe I think it's weird too. Hey, they're demons to us so I guess we're even!" Chopper said.

"Dammit, how can four planes change the tide of a war?!" An enemy inquired angrily.

"What do they mean we've changed the tide of this war?" Blaze asked. I was surprised she didn't know what they were talking about, or at least didn't have an idea about it.

"I'm not sure. We've just happened to be in the, I guess you would call it, the most decisive battles in the war, but we've just been ordered to do that. It's not like we can choose our missions," Chopper commented.

"The Demon of Razgriz can't be killed. If you haven't noticed, none of us have been… killed…" I pointed out warily.

"Don't jinx us Nagase," Blaze warned.

"Not meaning to, it just makes you think."

"Dammit! Just sink already!" Chopper shouted.

"I second what Chopper yelled," Grimm noted.

"I didn't yell!" Chopper protested loudly.

"Chopper. You're yelling," Blaze pointed out.

"Well, this damn sub won't sink and it's pissing me off!" Chopper explained. He did seem pretty mad about the whole thing. I mean, I think the yelling can clarify that. I couldn't help but agree with him though. I felt the same way. I think we all did. Blaze was too level-headed to yell anything unless something major happened like one of us had to bail out or something like that. Grimm barely yells at all. I've never seen Grimm lose it come to think of it.

I flew to the Hrimfaxi and changed course on the way when a UAV was trailing Blaze. Blaze wasn't having any trouble avoiding it though. I just shot it down and ended up searching for UAVs and shooting them down so we didn't have to worry about them. Blaze continued attacking the Hrimfaxi with Chopper while Grimm helped me with the UAVs.

"The Hrimfaxi's taken severe damage! It's listing!" A Yuke submarine announced.

"With the way it's still holding up, it could've fooled me…" Blaze muttered, sounding annoyed.

"No kidding," Chopper agreed wholeheartedly.

"Hrimfaxi launching burst missile!" Thunderhead informed frantically.

Blaze let out an audible groan while Chopper shouted, "Dudes! Stop sending burst missile thingymajiggys at us!"

"Dudes?" I asked.

"Burst missile thingymajiggys?" Grimm added.

"Shut up!" Chopper snapped. " I'm tired, I'm hungry, and I want to go back to base and yell at Hamilton to let up on the training. We've been working our _arses_ off! We need some rest!"

"Let us know how that works out," Grimm said with a chuckle.

"I will," Chopper retorted.

"Lower hull flood spreading!" The Hrimfaxi exclaimed. "It's finished. We can't save this boat."

"They've sunk the Hrimfaxi?!" Another guy from the submarine questioned in a shocked horror.

"Ten seconds to impact," Thunderhead said. "Five, four, three, two, bursting, now!"

You know what happened. The plane shook, I was blinded, yatti yatta yatta. Just a little more shooting and this thing would be done. I couldn't wait.

"Look! The Razgriz story was true!" A Yuke claimed.

"But that's not possible… it's… it's just a fairytale," Blaze stammered.

"Geez, you guys still believe in that? That's just a tall tale!" A Yuke said nonchalantly.

"You believe it, don't you Blaze?" I inquired softly. It was more of a statement than a question. I think we were all starting to believe it. If you put the facts together, it just seemed too strange to just be a coincidence. First, we sink the Scinfaxi, we haven't lost a battle, we're about to sink the Hrimfaxi, and we're about to sink it in the Razgriz Straits, the place where the Demon of Razgriz was supposedly born. Did the Razgriz Demon… did it really take over us? Were we really, I guess you would call it, incarnates of the Demon of Razgriz? It seemed so out of the world, completely bizarre, and yet, sort of, kind of, believable…

"Yeah…" Blaze replied quietly.

"Well, how do you explain all this damage?! I tell you, they're demons!" The other Yuke asked, irate.

Blaze flew down and fired two missiles at the Hrimfaxi. There was a small explosion and the Hrimfaxi disappeared off our radar. We had done it. We had destroyed what we thought was the demon. I was surprised that it hadn't taken anymore missiles than just two. I thought it would've taken a lot more just because it had seemed so indestructible at first.

**Mission Accomplished**

"Hrimfaxi, it appears you're up against Razgriz itself out there," The Yuke Command said grimly.

"Looks like they were the real Razgriz, not us…" A Hrimfaxi guy acknowledged. "Maybe someone's trying to tell us that our time is up…"

"Did we just destroy that thing?" Chopper queried.

"Yeah… and because of it, they're calling us demons. We're just doing our job! Why were we ordered to destroy it? Why does doing our job make us the demons?" Grimm ranted.

"HQ knew we could do it… that's why," Blaze responded.

That pretty much shut us up. Even motormouth Chopper shut up. Why, of all squadrons, were we chosen to sink the Hrimfaxi? It wasn't that hard. All you did was turn and burn once you fired a missile and got to above five thousand feet when a burst missile came and avoided being shot by UAVs and avoiding being detected by radar at first by flying below one thousand feet and then having one minute to get to the thing once the alarm was sounded that we were there and destroy the thing somewhat or impair its ability or something… it sounds like a lot, I know, but it _wasn't that hard_. Sure it took a lot of missiles but that was really it. So why of _all_ the squadrons in the Osean Air Force, did HQ choose us?

We got back in formation and flew above the water. The Hrimfaxi started to slide beneath the water and then it exploded. We were silent, none of us really wanting to talk.

When we got back to Sand Island, we walked to the briefing room where they explained to us the outcome of the mission. "The surprise attack on the Hrimfaxi was a success, and the carrier has sunk to the bottom of the Razgriz Straits. The threat from the northern sea has disappeared, and the Osean forces are on the offensive against Yuktobania."

When the briefing was over, the four of us went back to our rooms and sacked out on our beds. We woke up for dinner, Blaze was completely silent. She had prominent dark spots under her eyes that even makeup couldn't hide, and it was obvious she had tried to hide it. She didn't eat much at dinner and kind of picked around with her food. Chopper was worried about her because he kept glancing over at her every five seconds. Blaze's left hand was on the table and Chopper put his hand on hers. She looked up at him and smiled and I swear to God they were sending telepathic messages to each other. It was kind of freaky to tell you the truth. After Blaze had taken about ten bites of her steak (Chopper was already done), Chopper made Blaze go to bed. Blaze started to protest but the rest of us joined in with Chopper and Blaze finally gave in. She had a mutiny with her wingmen I guess you could say.

"Is Blaze okay, Genette?" Cassie asked.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure. She's been having trouble sleeping lately," Genette said. He looked worried. We all were. We all knew Blaze had never been good at falling asleep (although she was fantastic at staying asleep) but never had it been this bad.

"She won't tell me what's been going on," I said. I had asked Blaze what was wrong but she would just say it was nothing, that everything was okay.

"She won't tell me a damn thing either," Genette muttered.

"Same here," Cassie said.

"Same," Grimm said.

"Has Chopper asked?" Cassie inquired.

"Yeah, she won't tell him either. She came close one time but then she shut her mouth and didn't say anything else," Genette explained.

"You don't think… you don't think she's, you know-" Cassie said. I knew what she was thinking. She was thinking that Blaze and Chopper were *ahem* starting a family but they would've told us. I was positive of that one. And I don't think Blaze would've been scared to tell us about something like that.

"No, she's not, but if this keeps up, I'm making her tell me and I won't let her out of the room until she does," Genette declared. He looked so determined none of us doubted him. His hand that was under the table was clenched in a fist and I put my hand on top of it. He slowly relaxed it and grasped my hand tightly.

* * *

**Blaze**

"Blaze, please tell me what's wrong?" Chopper begged.

"It's nothing Chopper," I said.

"Blaze, you look like you haven't slept in weeks," Chopper pointed out. We were in my room. I was in the bathroom changing into my pajamas while Chopper sat on the couch. I came out and Chopper stood up.

"I haven't slept in weeks, what with this stupid war going on and Hamilton sending us up for over half the day and waking up at four and five in the morning after going to bed at eleven or twelve and my nightmares of-" I stopped dead in my tracks. No way in hell was I going to tell him.

"What nightmares?" Chopper inquired sharply, worriedly.

"Nothing, nothing, forget I said anything," I mumbled, heading over to my bed.

"No, it's not nothing; it's something and I can tell it's scaring the hell out of you," Chopper wrangled.

"Forget it Chopper, I'm not saying anything," I said.

"Blaze, please, the gang's worried sick about you," Chopper told me. "Blaze, whatever is causing you to not be able to fall asleep, it's literally killing you. And I'm not about to lose my fiancée."

"I'm the problem. My mind is always racing at night, that's all."

"No Blaze. When we were at my house, you woke in the middle of the night every night, and every night, you told me to go back to bed when I woke up and asked you what's wrong. There's something going on and I intend to find out what."

"Chopper, if you really want to help me, then just drop the whole subject," I pleaded, sitting down on my bed. Chopper sat next to me and put his arm around me.

"Blaze, you're scaring me, and you know how hard that is to do," Chopper whispered.

"I'm sorry, it's just I don't want to say anything about it," I muttered. Chopper sighed.

"If you ever want to tell me, let me know. I'm staying here until you fall asleep," He said. I caved and leaned into Chopper. He lifted me on his lap and I, for the first time in weeks, fell asleep in less than two hours. In fact, I fell asleep in two minutes.

The next day, the base held a party for sinking the Hrimfaxi. I had had the same nightmare last night and I was sure to not wake up Chopper up (because he had fallen asleep holding me) when I went to splash water on my face. I was dancing with Chopper and couldn't help but notice Hamilton was watching us meticulously. It was rather strange and I pointed it out to Chopper. He looked over at Hamilton, who then hastily left the room.

"Weirdo," Chopper muttered. I laughed and he and I continued dancing.

* * *

**Genette  
**

I took out my video camera and went to find Pops. After all my time on base, never had I once interviewed him. I found him in a chair next to the food table with a coffee mug in his hand. I focused my camera on him.

"May I interview you?" I asked him. He looked up at me, curious.

"Me? Heavens," Pops said, standing up. "The ace pilots who sunk the enemy submarines are right over there, and I'm the person you want to interview now?"

"No, it's not that. It's just I heard you used to be a fighter pilot yourself," I said.

"I just fly freight planes for the maintenance crews now," Pops told me. "The Captain, Captain Bartlett that is, said it was time for an old man like me to quit trying to compete with the young guys. Talk about lack of respect!" Pops chuckled.

"Where did you meet Captain Bartlett?" I inquired.

"We were both shot down and we bailed out behind enemy lines in the last war. We got through the bullet-ridden battlefield and made it back to the allied front line. I tell you. It was tough getting the Army to believe we were on their side."

"Shot down? _You_ two?" I asked incredulously. Pops smiled.

"Hey, it was a long time ago. Everyone makes mistakes, right?"

"Oh no," I said hastily. "I didn't mean it that way. Even when you're not flying with those pilots, your age and experience provide a lot of support for all of them. I just wanted to tell you that. I've seen that you really listen to what they say and you always have helpful suggestions for them."

"Well, thank you," Pops said.

"I think they're all going to need you, now more than ever."

"I'll do what I can."

"These people, it's like they're walking on a tightrope that could snap at any second. They're going to reach they're breaking point sooner or later."

"Yeah," Pops agreed, looking at the crowd. I followed his line of gaze and saw that he was looking at Blaze and Chopper. I turned off my camera and looked at Pops.

"Pops?"

"Yeah, Genette?"

"Has Blaze told you anything?"

"Told me what?"

"Anything that's been bothering her," I said.

"No, says hi to me when she sees me when she's not up in the air for a mission or for Hamilton or sacked out in her room. Hamilton's overworking them with the practices. He keeps it up, sooner or later they'll make a mistake and that mistake could have deadly consequences."

"So you've noticed how tired she's been too?" I asked.

"Yeah. I've already had a word with Hamilton and he's going to lay off them for a while. I told him he's killing them will all these practices and Blaze looks like she's a walking zombie."

"If she tells you anything that's bothering her, please tell me, okay?"

"What do you think is wrong, Genette?"

"I'll let you know when I get a clue," I said with a half-hearted smile.

"I'll let you know," Pops assured me.

"Thanks Pops. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to find Nagase and go dance with her," I said. Pops laughed and shooed me away. My mind was still on Blaze. It was bugging the hell out of me. I found Nagase, and for the time being, I let loose and had fun.

* * *

**Please review :)**


	16. Ice Cage

**Hey y'all! I am so sorry I didn't get this done sooner! I was jam packed this week from traveling all over the place (yet again) and I had absolutely no Wi-Fi where I was at either except on my aunt's IPad so I could really only check emails. Anyways, here's the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 16: Ice Cage

**Grimm**

The next three days, Blaze crashed in her room. We made sure we didn't bother her either. Once in a while, she would wake up but she would be so out of it that Chopper would lead her back to her bed and she would fall asleep again. We had been in her room, all talking, when she fell asleep and started mumbling something that we couldn't decipher. It bugged us that we couldn't understand what she was saying because we wanted to figure out if it had anything to do with her nightmare and what the nightmare was about. When she stopped mumbling, we all sighed and continued talking, watching and listening to her carefully. Of course, nothing happened.

* * *

**Chopper**

Okay, now I'm a pretty difficult guy to scare but Blaze was pulling it off wonderfully. She was sleeping practically all day and all night, waking up only to eat and use the bathroom. That couldn't be healthy. I tried to talk to her about the nightmares some more but she told me they were getting better and then I would say that was bullshit (excuse the language) because I knew it was. Whatever she was dreaming about was literally killing her and I was going to find out about it before it did.

"Hey Blaze," I said as I walked into her room.

"Hey Chopper," Blaze replied tiredly.

"Still having nightmares?" I asked.

"Yeah…" Blaze mumbled, lying down on her bed. I walked over and sat next to her.

"Why don't you tell me about it?" I suggested, even though I knew I wasn't going to get anywhere with it.

"No, I really don't want to tell anyone, especially you," Blaze said.

"What? Why not? You're not cheating on me in the dreams are you?" I inquired seriously.

"No!" Blaze laughed. Man was her laugh good to hear. "Far from it!"

"Then tell me!" I pleaded, exasperated.

"No, I'm not telling you or Nagase or Genette or Grimm or Cassie or anyone for that matter," Blaze declared. I sighed, defeated.

"Alright, I'll drop the subject for now but don't think I'm not going to try and find out again," I said.

"I know. I had to choose someone as stubborn as me," Blaze joked. I smiled and kissed her on the cheek before I left. I turned around to look at Blaze and she was asleep already.

* * *

**Blaze**

I woke up at five, just in time for dinner, and when I was done with dinner, I went straight back to my room. Everyone thought it was because I was sleeping but the truth was I wasn't… at all. Sure, I _tried_ to fall asleep but the fear of having that nightmare would get me so scared that I would be too hyped up on adrenaline to fall asleep. I needed to talk to someone about it but it couldn't be any of my friends, it couldn't be anyone I didn't trust on the base. It had to be someone who was experienced in flying in war…

Pops.

His name popped into my mind and I headed over to the hangar where they held the training jets. Pops was there, diligently working away on something that I would never be able to figure out. Grimm would because he was good at mechanics, so would Chopper because he's all into fixing things with engines (cars, planes, boats, etc.) and Genette would figure it out just from watching Pops. Genette had some camcorder in his mind where if he watched something be done just one time, he could do it himself the next without any instruction at all. Yeah, my brother is a freaking genius.

"Hey Pops!" I greeted.

"Hello Blaze! How are you?" Pops inquired.

"I'm okay, and you?"

"I'm doing pretty good. What can I do for you?"

"Um, this is going to sound pretty weird, but uh, have-have you ever had dreams of… one of your wingmen crashing?" I asked quietly. Pops looked at me curiously.

"Yes, many times. It's all part of being a captain," Pops explained.

"Did you have the same dream repeat?"

"Once in a while, yes," Pops replied.

"Did… did they ever come true?" I inquired, hoping to god they didn't.

"Once… it happened once," Pops said.

"What was the dream of?"

"It was of us in a dogfight and of me and another guy, whom I realized after it happened was Bartlett, being shot down over enemy lines."

"And every detail came true?"

"Yeah. What's the matter Blaze? Does this have something to do with you not sleeping for the past few weeks?"

"Damn, it's that obvious?" I asked tiredly.

"Yeah, pretty obvious. So what's on your mind?"

"Promise not to tell anyone? Not even Genette?" Pops hesitated at my question.

I picked up on his reluctance immediately. I don't know why but the longer I became captain, the more tuned-in I became to what was going on around me. I was able to make more accurate guesses about what had happened. "Genette came to you and asked you to tell him if I said anything, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he's pretty worried about you Blaze," Pops pointed out.

"I know," I grumbled.

"Alright, tell me." Pops said, leaning up against the table.

"Well, the first dream I had, I thought it was just a coincidence. I dreamed that Bartlett disappeared and that nothing was found of him. It was just that he disappeared, nothing else, and then the next day, Bartlett is gone. I'm like, okay, that's kind of odd but I forgot about it later and just thought of it as a coincidence. When Chopper and I started dating, I started having nightmares of him crashing. They started out maybe once a week for a couple of weeks, and then it escalated to three or four times a week for a couple more weeks, and now they're happening every time I go to sleep. I even had a recent dream of Nagase crashing. I couldn't really make out the terrain and whatnot but now I'm worried about her and the ones of Chopper are really, really, scaring me," I explained quickly. Pops was silent.

"Where do you see Chopper crashing?"

"In a stadium. We're being ambushed. I always come in right at the part where we're being ambushed. I'm completely focused on Chopper in my dream though and the only other thing I noticed was the stadium."

"Do you know where you are in the dream?"

"No, like I said, all I can see is Chopper and a stadium."

"Blaze, nightmares of your wingmen crashing is common among captains of squadrons, especially when that captain is under a lot of pressure to bring all of them back, especially more if the captain is strict with themselves on bringing everyone back like you are. Now, I'm not saying that these are just nightmares and nothing more because I think you're very intuitive Blaze and I think you really need to pay attention to the dreams about Chopper because if I think you're having visions, I think you also have the power to stop it all from happening," Pops said.

"So you think I'm having psychic visions of my fiancé dying? Lovely…" I muttered.

"Yes, but you also have the power to stop it. If you can see how Chopper crashes into the stadium, you can try and prevent it."

I sighed. "This means I'm going to have to fall asleep," I groaned.

"It means you'll have to fall asleep."

"Anything for Chopper but I swear he's going to be the death of me," I declared with a smile. I thanked Pops and headed back to my room. I had to figure out this dream because there was no way in hell I was letting Chopper die.

* * *

**November 14, 2010…**

**Chopper**

Blaze seemed more refreshed the next day and didn't look _as_ tired but don't get me wrong, she still looked doggone beat.

"Hey y'all," Blaze greeted us cheerily. Genette, Nagase, Grimm, Cassie, and I looked at her, kind of surprised.

"Feeling better?" Genette asked.

"Yeah, better," Blaze replied. She sat next to me and rested her head on my shoulder. After kissing her on the top of the head, I focused my attention back to the front screen. We were going on yet another mission. Thankfully, Hamilton hadn't been working us to death with practices so we were pretty well rested. Of course, I wasn't complaining of not practicing. It's a pain. I mean, yeah, sure it will help keep you alert and whatnot but it gets boring if you do it every day for over half the day (*cough* Hamilton *cough*) and exhausting… _very_ exhausting.

The briefer came in, glaring at Blaze to silently tell her that she should really get her head off my shoulder, but Blaze just stayed on my shoulder and ignored the briefer. Have I told you how much I love this girl?

The briefer cleared his throat. "Our ground offensive is continuing its fast-paced push into Yuktobanian soil. A POW internment camp was discovered during the offensive and a team of marines attacked and captured the camp. The marines have secured the camp's radio room, and a flight of helicopters is en route to retrieve the prisoners. Your mission is to provide close air support for this rescue and retrieval operation. The radio room could be retaken by the enemy at any moment. If it is, the enemy will report the attack, and this rescue will end in failure. Find and shoot down all enemy aircraft in the local airspace, and secure air superiority across the entire area."

Operation: Backhaul

Location: Glubina

Date: 2010/11/17

Time: 1000 hours.

When the briefing was done, the four of us headed to the hangar where Blaze chose a Su-37 "Terminator" for all of us. She had a funny thing about having the same plane for all of us. I didn't mind because I was the same way. Besides, the plane was made for air combat and while it wasn't the best at ground fighting, we didn't have many ground targets in the first place.

When we got to Glubina, the weather was horrendous! It was practically a white out. The snow was just coming and coming and coming without any signs of relenting. I always thought the Yukes were cranky, maybe this was why. All this snow was incredible. Sure, I grew up in a place where we got snow, sure we got a few feet once in a while, but it was nothing like this. _This_ snowstorm was probably dumping about five feet on the ground; the snowstorms I'm used drop two feet.

"This is Archer. Captain, can you see the POW camp?"

"No, not yet thanks to this blasted snowstorm," Blaze replied.

"No wonder the Yukes are so cranky," I commented. Naturally, no one listened.

"Well, we should be able to see it soon," Grimm remarked. "You think the Captain… uh, I mean… Captain Bartlett… you think he's in there?"

Grimm shouldn't have said anything because I know Nagase still blamed herself for his disappearance. I know Grimm meant well but I didn't want Nagase getting her hopes up and then them being completely flattened if we found out he wasn't there.

"I bet he is. He's probably busy cussin' out all the other POWs and takin' charge right now. Right, Nagase?" I asked cheerfully. Nagase was silent. I sighed. "You're not still blaming yourself, are you?"

"No…"

Okay, two things here. One, she sounded a bit pissed off that I said that, and two, she obviously still did blame herself. I knew not to push her though. Blaze had taught me very well that if a girl sounded pissed, there were two things you could do. One, see what was wrong and two, back off. Since I obviously knew Nagase didn't want to bring the subject up, I smartly dropped it.

I suddenly realized I had hits on my radar. When did that happen? I can be so oblivious at times.

"Fighters, I can hear the roar of your engines approaching. Uh… this is Sea Goblin," a man greeted.

"Nice to meet you Sea Goblin. I'm Blaze."

"I'm Chopper."

"My call sign is Edge, but call me Nagase."

"My call sign is Archer, but call me Grimm. Everyone does."

"Nice to meet you guys," Sea Goblin replied. "Man, and I thought if I joined the Marines I'd get to work on tropical beaches all the time…"

"Dude, did you have to say tropical beaches? I hate the cold," I grunted.

"I love it because then I can be next to a toasty fire with hot cocoa cuddled up in a blanket reading a good book," Blaze mused.

"Eighty-six what I just said. I love the winter because then I can be _right_ next to Blaze," I claimed quickly.

"Chopper, I hate to burst your bubble, but you're _always_ right next to Blaze," Nagase pointed out with a laugh.

"She has a point Chopper," said Grimm.

"And I love having him right next to me," Blaze defended.

"I'm glad you still like me," I admitted.

"I'll never stop liking you," Blaze replied.

"Come on lovebirds, save the mushy-gushy stuff for when you're alone," Grimm told us.

"Sorry y'all…" Blaze and I apologized simultaneously and rather sheepishly.

"We've safely recovered the POWs. Guess our copter's not here yet," Sea Goblin observed.

"You're gonna have to babysit 'em a little bit longer. I'm picking up enemy planes on my radar," I announced. I got behind an enemy plane and tried to get a missile lock on it. We had been trying to get within firing range of these two enemy planes for the duration of the entire conversation we just had. Those planes were going wicked fast.

Just as I was about to shoot the plane, Blaze came above me and shot it down. I could hear her laughing over the mic.

"No fair Blaze!" I whined.

"You snooze, you lose!" She chirped.

"Roger. You're that squadron from Sand Island, right?" Sea Goblin inquired curiously.

"Yes, sir," answered Blaze.

"I've heard of you guys. Can't wait to see you do your stuff."

Well, glad to know that some people had faith in us, that there were some people that didn't despise our guts. It's a pretty nice feeling actually.

Blaze was trailing an enemy plane and she wasn't letting it out of her sights. I snuck up behind her and went above her. I shot forward and shot the plane down. I started cracking up.

"Damn you Chopper!" she shouted, but she was laughing which made it obvious she wasn't actually mad (which it would be bad if she actually was)

Laughing, I said, "Love you too! "

"Now we have a war between these two too!" Nagase groaned in a joking tone.

"Well, it's not a complete mutiny so it's not too bad," Grimm noted.

"Like they did in _Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides_?" I asked.

"Yes! That movie was epic!" Grimm exclaimed.

"Well, at least we know Blaze won't kill one of us for starting a mutiny," said Nagase.

"Nah, I could never kill y'all. Torture y'all to no end? Yes. Kill you? Definitely not," Blaze promised.

"That's good to know," I said drolly.

We headed northwest, in search of more enemy planes. We knew there were more out there, just how many was the question. To make matters worse, the snow was steadily coming down harder.

"These enemy air patrols are really cramping our style," I mused.

"What kind of style is that?" questioned Blaze.

"Awesomeness!" I retorted.

"Well-spoken Chopper," Grimm complimented, sounding rather sarcastic.

"Thank you, thank you very much," I said in my best Elvis voice.

"That sounded just like him Chopper. Very nice!" Nagase praised cheerfully. I grinned at the fact that someone appreciated my impersonation.

"Why thank you, thank you very much," I repeated.

"Don't overdo it…" she muttered.

"Those two planes weren't the only ones out here, were they?" Grimm asked.

"You can't detect them unless you get close," Nagase mentioned.

"Wonderful," Blaze muttered.

"Yeah. We gotta find and shoot them all down or else the helicopter won't be able to get close," Grimm said.

"We gotta move fast, too, 'cause the camp isn't going to be secure for long," I pointed out grimly.

"Yeah," Grimm agreed.

"Let's go!" I urged happily.

"What's got you so cheery?" Blaze queried suspiciously.

"Oh, I had a NOS energy drink before I flew," I explained nonchalantly.

"Oh dear god, save us now," joked Nagase.

"Don't worry Nagase, I'm sharp as a tick," I assured.

"It's 'sharp as a tack,' Chopper, not tick," Nagase corrected in amusement.

"You knew what I meant though."

"Chopper, lay off the energy drinks," Blaze suggested.

"Yeah, you're probably right. All this caffeine probably isn't good for my brain."

"I _know_ it isn't." Blaze was right. Me on caffeine is insane. You think I talk a lot? Talk to me when I'm on caffeine, then I really won't shut up! Plus, my brain had a hard time focusing when I had a lot of caffeine so it probably wasn't the smartest thing for me to do to have caffeine before I went on this sortie. Hmm, maybe I should have a lot of caffeine and then go bug Hamilton… that's an idea. I mean, he hates me anyway so why not just bug the hell out of him? He can't really do anything except yell at me to shut up or suspend me… if he suspended me, I couldn't fly with Blaze. Damn. And at first I thought I had a pretty good plan.

"That's weird. Zudak still hasn't come back from the bathroom…" A Yuke G mused. It was never good when the Yukes thought because they're pretty damn smart sometimes.

"Hits on my radar," Blaze announced.

"Let's shoot the suckers down!" I hollered.

"We're never letting you have caffeine before a mission again," Nagase admonished. I imagined her shaking her head.

"We need to hide all the energy drinks," Grimm added.

"We can run a like a, uh, what's it called? A speakeasy! Except we don't have an underground room… that's a problem," Blaze mused.

"We have the bomb shelter," I remarked.

"I doubt that the top brass would let us turn the bomb shelter into a speakeasy," Grimm noted with a laugh.

"We could always say that if we ever needed to use it, we would never be thirsty," Nagase offered helpfully.

"I don't think they would buy it. The pilots would, but the top brass, Perrault, Hamilton, they're too uptight to let us do that," Blaze commented.

"Blaze, you know they're listening in on us right now probably, right?" I told her with a smirk.

"You're point?" She retorted. "They don't trust us anyways which I don't know why seeing as how we were on the _complete opposite end of the battlefield when that town was attacked!_"

God I love her! Only Blaze would have the guts (besides me) to insult the top brass at our base when they were listening in on our conversation over the radio. I knew Orson Perrault was probably bursting a blood vessel right now after what Blaze said. I bet his face was as red as a tomato. She would probably get yelled at when we arrived on base, even though what she said was the complete truth. That's the top brass at our base for ya.

The four of us engaged the two enemy aircrafts.

A Sea Goblin guy came on. "This is Colbynau. Do the pilots need anything?"

"As many blankets as you can get… and bring some food, too," Another one replied.

"Wen, how about treating the pilots to the stuff you brought with you?" Colbynau said to another Sea Goblin member.

"Okay. They can have a taste of some good whiskey from our motherland," the guy responded.

"It's always whiskey," Blaze observed.

"I want some now…" I grouched.

"What, that NOS wasn't enough?" teased Grimm.

"Alright you little smart-eleck-" I began but was interrupted by Nagase snapping "Would y'all stop bickering and focus on shooting down these planes?"

I teamed up with Grimm and we tailed an enemy plane while Blaze and Nagase tailed the other. Grimm and I both got a missile lock on the plane but the plane went into a sudden loop and we lost view of it for a few seconds. We finally found it heading towards Blaze and Nagase so we decided to put a stop to that immediately. Grimm and I both locked onto the plane and fired one missile each. Both missiles hit the plane, making it fall down to the ground but we couldn't see it. The torrential downfall of snow blocked the view.

While Blaze and Nagase were chasing after the other enemy plane, Grimm and I teamed up again and trailed one of the three remaining planes.

"Check your equipment again while you can," A Sea Goblin man ordered.

"No contact from the control room. They must be slackin' off again," A Yuke grumbled.

"It's too far from here. Get someone nearby to check it out," another Yuke answered.

"Enemy planes detected on radar," informed Nagase.

"Enemy patrol plane. I'll shoot it down," Grimm declared.

Nagase and Blaze had finally shot down the plane they had been chasing forever around the time Grimm and I shot down the second plane we had been trailing. Blaze took no time, however, shooting down the fourth plane.

A different Sea Goblin member decided to speak up at this point. "This is Dobie. We're monitoring the camp from the radio room. Everything's quiet so far."

"Let's hope it stays that way," Blaze said.

"Please, we wouldn't be that lucky," I remarked.

Nagase chided at me, "No faith Chopper, no faith."

"I'm not getting any response from the guards in the control room area," A Yuke notified.

"What's going on here? The guys we sent to check on them aren't back, either," the Yuke's companion grunted.

Deciding to change the subject so my nagging opinion that the Yukes were about to find out about us would disappear, I confessed, "I'm cold."

"Random much?" Grimm kidded.

"Randomness is my specialty," I claimed confidently.

"Never would've guessed," Nagase joked.

"I had _no clue_," Blaze added sarcastically.

"You know, I would usually take offense to that but this caffeine has me on cloud nine so I'm good," I explained.

"I worry about you Chopper," Grimm admitted.

"Pfft, you worry about him Grimm? Try having him as your fiancé, then you'd _really_ worry about him," Blaze

I swear I heard a catch in her voice when she said she worried about me. I know this is probably a long shot, but what if the reason she had been so tired lately was because she was worried about me? I'm not trying to sound conceited or anything, but say you're in my place and you know your fiancé almost better than she knows herself and you hear a catch in her voice when she says she worries about you. Wouldn't that make you wonder? Just a little bit? Or am I just mentally insane? You know what, don't answer that question because I have a feeling most of you would go with the latter one. Or maybe she just worries about everyone. It is Blaze after all and she feels like she has to carry the world on her shoulders. At times, it kind of seems that she does carry it. It's not like we're fighting a massive war with a country that possesses an insanely good military. Not as good as ours but good nonetheless.

"I can't imagine it Blaze, I'm so sorry," Nagase consoled.

"Okay! Okay! Now I'm taking offense! And that caffeine is seriously crashing right now. Holy crap!" I rambled.

"What now motormouth?" Grimm groaned.

"More enemy planes!" I said bluntly.

"Hell, make sure y'all don't get shot down, okay?" Blaze commanded.

"I'm not planning on it," I acknowledged.

We were interrupted when one of the men from Sea Goblin commented, "The pilots look pretty worn out."

Another Sea Goblin soldier responded "Being thrown into a remote internment camp like this, I don't blame 'em."

We shot down the enemy planes pretty quickly, I mean, I'd go into detail about it but all we did was get behind them and shoot. They weren't that good to put it plainly. I zoomed out on my radar and I saw some enemy planes to the southeast. Blaze was already on her way there.

"Yanov… where's your report? Hey… are you napping again?" A Yuke demanded.

"It's cold. I think there are plenty of other things he could be doing besides a report. He's probably in bed with some chick," I predicted.

"Under the covers…" Blaze added mischievously.

"… Looking at her glow-in-the-dark watch," I finished.

"You got that from Facebook," Nagase remarked.

"And?" I queried.

"Oh never mind…"

"This is Sea Goblin. Does it seem like the enemy craft have noticed our infiltration?"

"No Sea Goblin. It doesn't appear so," replied Blaze.

"You heard our captain. Relax and just wait there at the camp," I told them casually.

"Roger. We've cut off the enemy's lines of communication here, but it's just unsettling not being able to tell what the situation is."

"I understand," Blaze agreed gently.

Under my breath, I muttered with amusement, "Says the girl who can read the tide of battle instantly."

Apparently she heard because she said, "You're exaggerating."

"I'm agreeing with Chopper, Blaze," Nagase confessed.

"Ha!" I yelled.

"I'm going to side with Blaze just because I don't want to have my ass whooped by her if I agree with you two," Grimm decided.

"Suck up," I taunted.

"Smart thinking Grimm, but I'm not going to whoop your ass for agreeing with them," Blaze promised.

"Well, in that case, I agree with Nagase and Grimm," he said.

"Double Ha!" I exclaimed.

"What am I going to do with you Chopper?" Blaze pondered drolly.

"Most likely you're going to smack me on my arm when we get back to base," I guessed.

"You know me too well."

What did I tell you? I did know her very well, almost better than herself.

Two more planes appeared when we were already chasing two others so that meant we had to kick four plane asses. This will be fun with the sun setting and almost a total white out. Sheesh…

Blaze ordered us to take them one-on-one. I wasn't too keen on letting her take one on by herself because since she's been so tired lately. I was nervous that she wouldn't fly like she usually did being so tired. I didn't believe that anymore when I saw her get behind an enemy plane and shoot it down in less than thirty seconds. How the hell does she do that? That's not normal. I've only ever heard of the Demon Lord doing that… well, she _is_ related to him so maybe that has something to do with it. It probably does. I wonder who would win if Blaze and the Demon Lord went up against each other. _That_ would be one intense dog fight. Hey, have you realized that both of their nicknames of the word 'demon' in them? I mean, well, the four of us, me, Blaze, Grimm, and Nagase, are being called the "Demons of Razgriz" and Blaze's uncle (whom I would love to meet!) was nicknamed the "Demon Lord." Tell me you thought of that too? Maybe badass fighter pilots run in her family, hmm?

"The sun's about to set. All planes, cross-check your altimeter," Nagase directed.

"Oh great, the sun's setting. I can see _so much_ as it is. Tell me, why are we doing this rescue mission in the middle of a freaking snowstorm at dusk?" I demanded.

"High Command is probably hoping we'll crash and burn," Blaze answered.

"Uh, we don't have plans on it," Nagase pointed out.

"Much to their disappointment," noted Grimm.

"And much to our satisfaction," remarked Blaze.

"Heads up! Enemy radar is tracking you!" Nagase warned anxiously.

"Ah hell…" Blaze groaned. I whipped my head around, looking for Blaze. She shot over me going god knows how fast. Barely two seconds went by before the enemy plane went above me. I hit my accelerator and took off after the plane. The enemy plane fired a missile at Blaze.

"Blaze!" I shouted.

"I'm fine Chopper. I outran the missile. The moron should've known better. I was going too fast for a regular missile," she said. Her voice was emotionless, as if she didn't realize how close she had come to being shot down and possibly killed.

"Could you please not scare the hell out of me like that?"

"Sorry, but I had to let the plane think he had some chance of shooting me down because then he'll get cocky and then he'll make a mistake and then one of us can pounce on him when he does."

"You thought of all that while you were getting chased?" Grimm inquired incredulously.

"Yeah, why?"

"And you say that you can't read the tide of battle in an instant. Pfft!"

"Edge, Fox Two!"

"A missile! Evading!" A Yuke shouted.

"Oh look, he's back," commented Blaze. Blaze seemed way too calm while getting chased by the enemy plane. Well, there was no way in hell I was going to let her get shot down.

"They're firing. Taking evasive action!" Nagase admonished. Nagase had gotten two enemy planes behind her so Blaze and Grimm helped her out while I helped Blaze out. The two planes behind Nagase were firing their guns relentlessly but they were practically flying in a straight line so it would be easy for Blaze and Grimm to shoot them down. Of course, then those two planes decided that they weren't going to make it easy to get shot down by crisscrossing paths with each other so that Blaze and Grimm's radar kept getting mixed up on which plane to fire at.

I shot down the plane that had been trailing Blaze because it had no idea I was behind it until I hit it with a missile. And I thought I was oblivious…

"You know, I can't shake the feeling that we're being watched…" A Sea Goblin soldier admitted.

"Maybe it's Casper the Friendly Ghost," I suggested.

"Oh god…" Nagase moaned.

"Chopper and his movie allusions," Grimm laughed.

"Grimm with his big words," I countered.

"You can thank my aunt for that. She was a high school Honors English teacher."

"Geez, no wonder you're always using big words."

Hey, did you see a figure behind that window over there?" A Sea Goblin member hissed as Blaze fired her guns at one of the enemy planes chasing after Nagase and shot it down, leaving the other enemy plane completely vulnerable. Sucker! "You don't think they've found us out and surrounded us already, do you?"

"I heard some Yuke bastards talking to each other! I swear!" A Sea Goblin member whispered.

"Tell me they're not hallucinating already," I grumbled.

"I think they're just being paranoid, but given the situation down there, I can't really blame them," Blaze said in understanding.

I changed the subject, anxious to figure out what left we had to do. "We can figure out the number of remaining enemy planes from our pre-flight data. Let's see… There are five planes left."

Grimm moaned, "Great…"

"Hurry up with the retrieval. The Yukes aren't that stupid!" Sea Goblin urged.

"Unfortunately for us. It would make our lives so much easier if they were," Blaze commented.

"Yes ma'am it would."

"All this snow is probably the reason they're so smart because they're probably always stuck inside their houses and have nothing better to do than read up on god knows what."

"I like the way you think."

"Why thank you."

"Say, I know this probably isn't the best time, but are you single by any chance?"

… He did not just ask what I think he asked. I could hear Nagase and Grimm smothering their laughter over the mic. They were probably thinking my face was really red. I wasn't that bothered by it though because I knew Blaze was mine.

"Far from it. I'm engaged," Blaze chuckled.

"Oh crap. I'm sorry. Who is he? Is he military?" The Sea Goblin soldier queried.

"Yes, he's military."

"Oh god, well, uh, let's not tell him this conversation occurred… please?"

"It's a little late for that one dude," I interjected.

"What? Why?" he asked quickly.

"I'm her fiancé," I replied in amusement.

"Awkward…" he muttered but said nothing else. I couldn't help but laugh a little at the guy's reaction.

Blaze had gotten behind one of the enemy planes that had suddenly appeared out of the snowy abyss. She shot it down in a nanosecond. How does she do that? Ugh, my fiancée is insane…

"I think a change of subject will be welcome," I blurted.

"Building a POW camp in a place like this is an atrocity in itself," Grimm declared heatedly.

"It really is," Nagase murmured.

"This is Sea Goblin. Combat has broken out in the camp! You've got control of the air space now, right?!"

"No, not yet," answered Blaze.

"Okay. I like a pilot who is realistic about the situation," the man proclaimed.

Shouting started to occur more often on the mic. One man asked "Are the POWs we hid in the machine room all right? We can't hold out here for long!" while another man barked "Barricade the door with those desks! Don't let them enter the radio room!"

"Oh, no, the enemy's spotted us! They're heading for… the radio room!"

"They found us… a little earlier than we thought, too."

"Tell the guys on watch to come back!"

"Sea Goblin talks a lot," Blaze observed insouciantly.

"Do they talk as much as me?" I questioned dubiously.

"No one talks as much as you Chopper," Nagase promised.

"Jar Jar Binks doesn't even speak as fast you," Grimm contrasted. Okay, I'll admit, if that really is the case, I'm either damn impressive or damn annoying. I decided to go along with the former choice.

"Sound the alarms across the entire facility! Enemy infiltration!" A Yuke screeched. Great, the damn Yukes had noticed our infiltration. So not only was it throwing down snow and we had to fly in close to find the enemy planes, but now we had a ground battle that really shouldn't have happened. When is this stupid war going to end? I'm about to reach my breaking point I swear to God. The only reason I'm still in the military is because I don't want to leave Blaze or else I would've quit a long time ago.

"Damn! Sea Goblin, hurry up! We're going to take care of the last enemy planes," Blaze announced.

"I'll distract the enemy!" Nagase offered.

"Grimm, help Nagase. Chopper, come with me. We're going to take care of the rest of the planes," directed Blaze.

"Be ready for anything! Don't move alone!" Sea Goblin instructed.

"All this snow and reduced visibility is disorienting. This is dangerous," Grimm noted, his voice tinged with worry.

"This is extremely dangerous," agreed Blaze.

"I'd never be able to fly through this alone."

"Yes you would. You don't think you can but you would."

Grimm had shot down a plane that had been driving him insane for a while because he couldn't get a missile lock on it. Blaze, Nagase, and I offered to help but Grimm was very adamant on getting the enemy plane himself. So while he chased after that plane, the three of us went after the other two planes. Once Grimm had shot the plane down by going head-on with it, he sighed in satisfaction and engaged the other two enemy planes.

"Two planes left," I informed.

"I've got ice building up on my canopy. My field of view is narrowing…" Grimm rambled.

"And yet you go head on with an enemy plane. Am I missing something here?" I said.

"No, Grimm just has guts," Nagase said.

"Thanks for the compliment… I think."

"We're walking a tightrope with all these missions. I think the rope's getting thinner, too. I hate this," I whined.

"I hate it too. Let's hope that tightrope doesn't snap too soon," Blaze said gently.

Nagase shot down one of the two planes by firing her guns at the plane relentlessly. She had fired something like five missiles at the thing and none of them hit the plane so she switched to guns instead. Did you know there are four ways to shoot down a plane? The first is you can use your regular missiles. The second is you can use special air weapons if your plane is equipped with them. The third is you can use your guns. Lastly, you can crash into the plane. I wouldn't recommend this strategy though if you plan on going on more than one sortie.

"One plane left," I announced.

"That sucker's mine," Blaze replied.

"The helicopter rescue team will be here shortly. We still have some enemy planes to deal with," Grimm said.

"Leave the last plane to me. Go find that POW camp," ordered Blaze.

"Nagase, Grimm, do as she says. Blaze, there's no way in hell I'm leaving you," I retorted.

"Chopper…"

"Don't 'Chopper' me, Blaze. I'm supposed to watch out for you."

"Why?"

"Well, you're my fiancée, you're my captain, and you're blonde."

"I'm okay with the first two. I take offense to the third," she bantered.

"The third one was a joke," I countered.

"Suuure it was." Okay, so maybe I wasn't joking about the blonde part but I had to let Blaze think that it was a joke. The other two, I wasn't joking about. I don't know why, but I felt like it was my duty or something to protect her. If I didn't and she got shot down (which I doubt that would happen), our squadron would fall apart. Blaze is what held us together, what kept us inline.

"Form an attack team! We've got to take back the control room!" A Yuke bellowed. "There's only a few o 'em! Let's go sweep 'em up!"

"Dude, you can't sweep two hundred pound guys up," I joked.

"There's no broom big enough," added Grimm.

"You could maybe make them slip by using a Swiffer Wet Jet but I don't think a broom would be of much use unless you conked them on the head, and even then, a broom is pretty soft," I suggested.

"Hang on, do they even have Swiffer Wet Jets on bases?"

"No, don't think so. I think they have mops. I bet the janitors have put the mop heads on their heads and acted like girls."

"You know, I can totally see them doing that."

"Last enemy plane shot down," Blaze interrupted breezily.

In shock, I demanded, "Whoa, when did you do that?"

"When y'all were talking about Swiffer Wet Jets."

**Mission Update**

"All right, I've mopped up the enemies in the area. You can call in the taxi now," I told Sea Goblin.

"Roger. We're all set. Bring the helicopter in to our position," the man said.

"Did you seriously just say mopped?" Blaze laughed.

"Hey, mops are better than brooms when it comes to trying to beat them. Mops can make people slip," I wrangled.

"You know I'm rolling my eyes right now?"

"Yep, but you know my stupid comments is one of the reason you love me, right?"

"Yes, it is."

You know, sometimes I feel bad that Blaze is engaged to me. Then I realize of all the guys on base that she could've dated, she chose me. There had to be some reason she stuck by me. Hopefully it was a good reason too.

The four of us turned around, heading towards the POW camp in the southeastern part of the battlefield. Of course it had to be far away from where we were.

"Whew! Uhh, this is Sea Goblin. Our ride is here. The ground's still crawling with weapons installations, though, so they can't land. Could you clear them out for us?"

"We're on our way now. There won't be any weapons installations soon," Blaze assured.

"I've got a special delivery of bullets here. Where do you want me to drop 'em off?" a guy from the gunship asked, his voice dripping with victory already. However, I was thinking 'Hmm, maybe you should drop them off where our people with guns are? That's an idea, don't you think?' The guy came back on. "… Got it! Don't you go anywhere!"

If those people do go somewhere, they'll either be captured again or shot. I think they're going to stay where they are.

"You see anything in the air?" A Sea Goblin guy asked excitedly.

"Yeah! Allied planes and helicopters are flying above us!" another guy exclaimed.

"Wardog, split up and engage weapons installations. The faster we destroy them, the more time we have to cruise around and semi-relax," Blaze said.

We all responded with "Roger" simultaneously and afterwards, Nagase remarked, "I see the POW camp. The man I must… the people we must help are in there."

I knew she was hoping none of us had caught the mistake in her sentence but I had. I wasn't going to let her think something bad had happened to him so I commented, "I bet Bartlett's in there Nagase. As I said before, he's probably busy cussin' out all the other POWs."

Naturally, she changed the subject. "We have to suppress the anti-aircraft fire first."

I went along with it. "Everything going all right down below?"

"It will if we destroy all these weapons installations," Blaze responded.

"I think we're almost there. Don't give up," Grimm encouraged.

"Wasn't planning on it, no matter how thin the tightrope is," I said.

I could see the POW camp. The camp itself was pretty big and well concealed thanks to its light gray color blending in with the snow.

Blaze was well ahead of us, shooting everything in her way. What she didn't destroy was left to me, Nagase, and Grimm. There wasn't much that she hadn't already destroyed though.

The Yukes started to talk over our radio again, saying "Don't let them retrieve the POWs! You have permission to fire!" and "We have terrain advantage. Cut off their escape route!"

While the Yukes sounded like they were in full panic, our comrades below, Sea Goblin, sounded like they were sort of enjoying the chais. One guy shouted "Break the window! We'll get out that way!" Another man commented, "Man, this is a full-scale jailbreak!" with his compatriot agreeing "You said it! Let's blow this joint!"

"Is Elvis in there?" I inquired.

"Elvis?" A Sea Goblin guy repeated.

"Yeah, Elvis. You know, greased up black hair, tacky white suit, girl heartthrob? Ever heard of _Jailhouse Rock_?"

"Yeah."

"Is the jailbreak anything like that song?"

"What?" the guy sounded stupefied.

"Just tell me."

"Uh, no, it's not."

"Dang it," I mumbled. Well, it was worth a try to see if the jailbreak was anything like _Jailhouse Rock_. I mean, could you imagine all the POWs making a band, singing, and completely pissing off those Yuke bastards? I mean _come on_! That would be awesome!

All the weapons installations were demolished in a couple of minutes, mainly because of Blaze. Nagase, Grimm, and I just destroyed the few ones that she couldn't hit because her missiles didn't reload fast enough. That was only about three targets so it wasn't much.

We cruised at a high enough altitude to where we would crash into the snow-covered hills. The landscape was also covered and dark green evergreens. The whole setting looked ominous and spooky. I would not want to have to bail out here. Again, I always thought the Yukes were cranky, and this environment is probably why.

"Those POWs will be free in a few minutes," Grimm updated us cheerfully.

"Wait 'til they're back in their old jobs being overworked like us. I bet they'll wanna get back into this camp," I kidded.

"Very true. I wonder who has better food. The camp or at their workplace?" Blaze pondered.

"I don't know but I do know that I really want Chick-Fil-A right now," I said wistfully.

"That sounds amazing. I say we get a petition going on getting a Chick-Fil-A built inside the base. Oh my god, that would be a dream come true!"

"Chick-Fil-A is the best fast food place ever! Besides In-and-Out Burger, that is," Grimm pointed out.

"I love both of them so I'm not sure which place I'd rather go to," Nagase admitted.

"The enemy's a well-trained squad of soldiers. Don't let your guard down!" A Yuke warned before adding, "Damn! This isn't a typical breakout!"

More weapons installations appeared on my radar. I turned my plane around to find Grimm and Nagase there. Blaze was nowhere in sight. I couldn't even find her on my radar. I would've known if she had crashed. She shouldn't have. There were no enemy planes in the air… unless she crashed into one of the hills…

"Blaze!" I suddenly blurted.

"What's wrong Chopper?" she asked immediately.

"Where are you? I can't find you on my radar!"

"Relax, I'm below you." I flipped my plane over and sure enough, I saw Blaze right below me. She waved at me so I naturally waved back.

"You good now?" she inquired.

"I'm good."

"Good."

I watched from the air as the helicopter flew towards camp. Getting bored and figuring the chatter was too quiet, I said, "Get those POWs out of there, fast!"

"Lightning fast!" Nagase exclaimed.

"Speed of sound fast!" Grimm jumped in.

"Speed of light fast!" Blaze giggled.

"What's faster than the speed of light?" I questioned quickly.

"You're ability to talk?" Blaze proposed.

"Oh shut up," I retorted airily. Did I really talk that much? I don't think I do but maybe because I'm so busy talking, I don't realize how much I do talk… did that make sense to anyone? Because I just completely confused myself with my incessant thinking. Ugh, my head hurts. Lots of thinking plus lots of caffeine plus a caffeine crash equals a major headache.

Well, enough about my migraine. We were finishing up destroying the weapons installations so that the helicopter wouldn't blow up because then all of our hard work would be for absolutely nothing.

"Let's get this over with before nightfall," I said.

"Yeah, we think this is bad at dusk. It will be impossible to see at night, especially with all this freaking snow. I'm so getting a cup of hot chocolate when I get back to base," Blaze claimed.

"I'm with you on that one," Nagase concurred.

"We're screwed if they blow up our helicopter," I said.

"The emergency stairs! Dammit, they pulled one over on us!" A Yuke screeched angrily.

"Who's smart now, suckers?!" I cheered.

"Are you sure you're still not hyped up on caffeine?" Blaze queried.

"No, I'm not sure."

"That's what we thought…" Grimm muttered.

A Yuke interrupted, "What are the platoons outside doing?!"

"Okay, thanks for taking out the trash. We're taking the POWs outside. Can you see their smiling faces?" Sea Goblin asked merrily.

I wish I could. I had two things stopping me. The first being the snow, I couldn't see jack through it. The second being I wouldn't want to deafen the POWs with the roar of my engine because trust me, it's bloody loud!

Blaze came over and drifted along my left side. I knew she would want to see the faces of the POWs but she was sensible and probably thought the same thing I did, that she didn't want to make them go deaf from the roar of the engines. Grimm was flying in circles around the camp (Wasn't he getting dizzy from that?). Nagase came up behind us and she seemed a little indecisive about where she wanted to go.

"Puck here. We're coming to pick you up, so be ready!"

"We'll be landing at the designated site. Hurry up and get over here!" The pilot of the Sea Goblin helicopter snapped.

"The POWs are heading for the helicopter," Nagase informed.

"Good, they're safe. Thank god," Blaze sighed in relief.

"We're almost done with the rescue operations."

"It's almost over," I reiterated.

"Those people… I wish I could see their faces from up here," Nagase mused wistfully. She hit the accelerator and headed to the camp. She was actually going down to look. I knew she would. She's just that type.

"Heh, heh. Nagase's actually going down to look," I commented.

Blaze admonished, "Be careful Nagase. I'm getting a bad feeling right now…"

"I will Blaze. Besides, there's no one around," Nagase replied.

"Still…"

"Blaze, don't worry; there's no one around but allies. Relax, sweetie," I consoled.

Blaze didn't reply. It must've been the weather that was getting to her because it was making the land look pretty spooky if I do say so myself.

"All right, everyone's in the helicopter. Checking to make sure we got all of 'em," Sea Goblin said.

"Sea Goblin, is Captain Bartlett there? Check for a Captain Bartlett," Nagase ordered.

"I hope he's in there!" Blaze admitted.

"Hmm, no… nobody named Bartlett here. Hey, what about you?" The guy responded. Naturally we didn't hear the response so we had no idea.

Could Bartlett possibly be there? I'm not sure who would be captain then because I'm pretty sure Nagase would want Bartlett and I would want Blaze (and not just because she's my fiancée). I'm not sure who Grimm would pick but I would think it would be Blaze because he's never really met Bartlett before. Bartlett would most likely want control again. I'm not sure what Blaze would want. I knew she liked leading for she had never really been a follower; at the same time, I don't think she liked the stress that came with the position as captain. Blaze was almost too focused on getting us, the crew, back alive.

"Nope, not here. None of the other POWs ever heard of him, either," Sea Goblin finally notified. I knew that was not going to warrant a good reaction from Nagase.

"But that can't… look, just check for me one more time!" Nagase pleaded.

"Nagase, don't you think that if Bartlett was there, he would be swiping the mic away from Sea Goblin and talking to us himself?" Blaze consoled gently.

"He just has to be there though!"

"He's alive, I'm sure of it, but I don't think he's here Nagase."

Blaze and Nagase both sounded like they were on the verge of tears.

That's when a missile shot from a pillbox. Why hadn't Nagase and I listened to Blaze? The missile locked on to Nagase and she turned to evade. Blaze shot off towards Nagase. I knew she was going to try and get the missile to lock onto her instead and that thought sent shivers down my spine. I followed Blaze but I knew her chase was futile. Nagase was going too fast for us to catch up to her now.

"Ah, dammit, Nagase!" I yelled in frustration as I still tried to catch up to her. I knew there was no use but I was not going to just give up. At that moment, one of the helicopters fired a missile at the pillbox, destroying it instantly.

Nagase shot up into the sky, completely vertical, the missile still on her tail. She leveled out when she was about ten thousand feet high.

"Nagase, don't let it hit you!" Blaze begged.

"After all the Captain said to me, I…" Nagase trailed off.

The missile struck Nagase's right wing.

"Nagase!" Blaze practically screamed. I was in complete shock. I didn't know what to do. That's when I saw a parachute. Nagase must have ejected just in time.

I demanded, "You all right?!"

Nagase's reply was almost immediate. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?!" Blaze asked frantically.

"Yeah, I'm fine, really," she assured. Thank god she was okay. How were we going to rescue her though? Nagase interrupted my thoughts though. "My planes trashed, but those are always replaceable."

"Sea Goblin to gunship. We're taking our guests home now. Can you guys rescue her?"

"Roger. Weather conditions are getting worse. We'd better step on it," the controller of the gunship answered. Blaze rushed over to where Nagase had crashed and to where the gunship was going to pick her up. "Landing point confirmed, roger. Heading in to pick her up."

A few seconds went by. I'm sure the gunship was having trouble picking Nagase up because of the snow and wind. It was horrendous the weather.

"No!" Blaze exclaimed in horror.

"What's wrong Blaze?!" I inquired, my heart pounding that she was in danger too now. We already had one person needing rescue. We didn't need another.

"The gunship crashed!" Grimm responded.

"What?!" I was in shock. I couldn't think straight. So not only was Nagase down there, but the gunship crew, also probably injured, was down there too now. This day just got worse and worse.

"Dammit! The storm's too strong!" Sea Goblin grouched.

"We can't just leave her behind!" I argued.

Blaze offered, sounding rather hopeful, "I'll bail out, I'll stay with her."

"Don't even think about it," I growled.

"I can't just leave her down there by herself!" she wrangled.

"You have to Blaze! Please, just don't bail out!" I told her.

"Look, I hate it too, but we have to wait for conditions to get better before we can do anything," Grimm pointed out kindly. He knew our nerves were frayed, making me vaguely wonder how he was keeping so calm in this situation.

"Dammit, is there nothing we can do?!" I barked.

"There has to be something! I'll fly here all night if I have to," Blaze declared. Her plane would definitely run out of fuel but knowing her, she'd find some way to keep the plane in the air for ages.

"Just hang on, we can't do anything right now!" Grimm said.

"Dammit!" I slammed my fist onto my thigh, not even caring about the pain it sent shooting up my leg. I really did not know my own strength.

"You said it," Sea Goblin agreed.

How could we just leave Nagase behind? I was almost willing to bail out to stay with her because I didn't want her by herself with the just the two men from the gunship with her (who knows what they're like) in a massive snowstorm with zero degree temperatures. If it had been Blaze who had been shot down, I _would_ be on the ground right now. Blaze was silent. Her goal during every mission wasn't to win the mission, but to make sure we all got back to base alive. Yes, of course she wants to win the mission, but she cares more about us. It's usually the opposite way around with captains but Blaze was different.

In a solemn silence, we headed back to base, leaving Nagase behind. I knew Blaze was reluctant to leave. If it had just been her and Nagase on this mission, I have no doubt that Blaze would've bailed out to be with Nagase to make sure she was safe. Family and friends meant everything to her.

* * *

**Back at base…**

When we got back to base, we all got out of our planes and headed to the briefing room where we would be debriefed on the mission, not that we really cared. All we cared about was getting Nagase back. Thankfully, and somewhat surprisingly, the briefer went quickly. "The POW rescue operation was a success, and both the marines and our friends held in the camp were safely recovered. As for Captain Kei Nagase, who was attacked and bailed out during the operation, Colonel Perrault will issue orders on her behalf. Central Command will be replacing Captain Nagase's plane which was lost in the crash."

"None of the rescued POWs saw Bartlett in the internment camp," The Base Commander commented. Who cares about Bartlett right now? He's been missing for months now. We should be focusing on Nagase at the moment. The Base Commander continued. "Now where could he be I wonder? Upon more favorable weather conditions, we will carry out a rescue operation for Captain Nagase. That's right, you've all been promoted yet again. You guys are burning through the ranks, you know that? You can thank High Command for it."

The three of us, god that sounds weird, got up and left the briefing room. Blaze immediately headed to Genette's room to see if he was okay. Grimm and I headed to my room, Cassie was following us. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying a little. The three of us talked until ten 'o'clock, two hours after we had gotten back from our mission. Rain was pouring outside, perfect for the solemn mood that had settled over the base. It was hailing too, and that was a rare occurrence itself. I decided to go check on Blaze because I was worried about her; Grimm and Cassie left my room.

I carefully opened the door to Blaze's room. She was leaning against the inside of the window, looking out at the dreary weather outside.

"You okay?" I asked, wrapping my arms around her. There were tear streaks on her face and her eyes were red from crying. Kissing her on the cheek, I repeated my question.

"That should've been me," Blaze whispered.

"What are you talking about?" I looked at my fiancée curiously.

"That should've been me," Blaze repeated. "Nagase shouldn't have been the one that bailed out. I should've gone over and gotten the missile to lock onto me."

"No! Don't say stuff like that!" I commanded quietly.

"Chopper, my goal in each mission is to get y'all back to base safely, to not let you get shot down. I don't give a damn if I get shot down, I do give a damn if you do. It's getting the crew back alive that counts."

"Nagase, Grimm, and _I_ give a damn if you get shot down. You're our captain; it's our job to protect you. Nagase getting shot down is not your fault."

"Chopper, you don't get it! I should've been the one to get shot down! I feel like I've failed Nagase, I've failed you, I've failed Grimm, I've failed Cassie, I've failed Genette… I feel like I've failed everybody!" Blaze exclaimed, banging her head up against the wall.

"Blaze, what the hell are you talking about? You haven't failed anybody! " I declared.

"Yes, I have!"

"No, you haven't, and don't ever think you have! There was nothing you could've done to help Nagase. I hate to say it but it's the truth. We're going to get her tomorrow and she'll be fine, I promise," I assured her.

"I'm scared, Chopper," Blaze admitted.

"Why?"

"Because I'm scared that one day, one of you will get shot down and that I'll never see you again," Blaze said.

"That's not going to happen," I promised.

"How can you be so sure?"

"I'm not, but I have a feeling that is never going to happen. Come on, let's get to bed because we have to be up early to go save Nagase," I said, pulling Blaze towards her bed. We lay down and Blaze sighed deeply.

"Goodnight Chopper, I love you," Blaze murmured.

"Love you too Blazing Star," I replied. Blaze smiled as she fell asleep in my arms.

* * *

**Genette**

I walked into the crew room and turned on the lights. They flickered before turning on completely. My mind was on Nagase. I wondered how she was. I was worried as hell about her and I hated the feeling knowing that there was nothing I could do.

She'd left her book in the crew room, the one she'd been writing in the day that the Wardog Squad went to destroy the Hrimfaxi. I picked it up, holding it carefully in my hands.

_A Blue Dove for the Princess_. That was the title of the book she'd left behind. I opened the book carefully and turned the pages.

A favorite book from her childhood. The pages have torn off over the years and she had been writing down the words that were on those pages, trying to remember every sentence and every verse.

"_I loved this book so much, but I only have faint memories of what was inside. I feel like I've grown so far away from everything since then."_

I remember how she looked when she told me that. That look would never leave my mind. I flipped through some more pages, her neat handwriting all over the place. I looked out the window. I couldn't help wondering. Did she choose to crash on purpose rather than having to take part in the invasion of another country?

Shutting the book, I walked to my room where I set it down on my nightstand before heading to my bed. The base was eerily silent. Usually, there would be laughter or shouts from the hallway but not tonight. Everyone was worried about Nagase. Blaze looked like she had been crying when she came to tell me about Nagase bailing out into the snowstorm. I knew Blaze was worried sick about Nagase and I knew she felt like it was her fault that Nagase was shot down.

All I could think of though was that Nagase was out in a massive snowstorm with two wounded soldiers. I was too nervous to fall asleep that night so I stayed up all night, just staring at my top bunk.

* * *

**All right, good god this chapter is long! I didn't expect it to be! So, I really don't want to write the seventeenth mission because since you all played the game and you all know Chopper is my favorite character, you can guess why. Okay, the question for the chapter is:**

**In Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War, what is the codename of the area called "The Round Table"?**


	17. White Noise

**Okey doke, so, to all my reviewers, you all got the answer correct. Wildcat717 was the first to answer it correctly though so they are going to be mentioned in the story… somehow… I'm going to kind of lay off all the romance because I'm pretty darn sure that it's all guys reading this SO, without further ado, here's the next chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 17: White Noise

**Nagase**

I tried to bury my face in my flight suit as I and the two crewmen from the gunship attempted to escape from the massive snowstorm that we had crashed in. If you want to know what it's like to be stuck in a snowstorm with no way to make a fire and no caves to take shelter in, it sucks. It's complete pain in the ass. And yes, I'm not usually one to cuss but I think this situation calls for a few words. I was thinking about the warm fire in the crew room back at Sand Island. Blaze loved to sit there and read the day away. She was a lot like me. Both of us could get lost in writing and reading and it would take a tornado to break our concentration… or a really, really, smoking hot guy (hey, we're girls).

My mind wandered what the gang did on regular nights (meaning I wasn't stranded in the middle of enemy territory with two wounded soldiers in subzero temperatures). Genette would probably be in his room or hanging out with me in the crew room, Grimm and Cassie were probably having some whacked out conversation (they did that a lot), and Chopper and Blaze would be together in one of their rooms watching an episode of _Supernatural_ (they're addicted to that show and I can't really blame them, I mean, it's a really good show!).

Not tonight though. If I knew my friends, they would be in their own little worlds, not really talking to each other. I looked out from the hill we were staying on and over the land below me. It was covered with at least three feet of snow. I had my distress beacon on so maybe… just maybe, Blaze, Chopper, Genette, Grimm, and Cassie could track me down before the enemy did. If they didn't find me before the enemy, there was no way I was going to let the enemy take me and the wounded soldiers down without a fight. There was no way in freaking hell!

* * *

**Chopper**

I woke up next to Blaze. Both of us were facing the same direction on our sides and my arm was draped over her waist. I was disoriented at first so when I adjusted myself to figure out where I was, I fell on the floor.

"Ouch!" I muttered. Blaze looked over her shoulder, smiling when she saw me on the floor.

"What did you do?" She asked as she rolled over onto her elbows to look down at me… never thought I would say that one seeing as how I'm always taller than her.

"I, uh, fell?" I said.

"I can see that," She replied with an amused smile.

"Lieutenants! Suit up and meet in the briefing room in five minutes!" Hamilton shouted from the other side of the door. Blaze and I leapt up. The only reason they would have us suit up now is if they were rescuing Nagase!

"I'll see you in the crew room," I said as I ran to my room.

* * *

**Grimm**

Chopper came into the briefing room with Blaze a few seconds behind, both of them leaving skid marks on the floor, not kidding. There are literally black streaks on the tile floor from them sliding into the room.

"Hey Grimm!" Chopper greeted me, plopping down in the chair next to me. Blaze sat down next to Chopper. She looked at bit frazzled. Genette and Cassie had been the first ones to come to the briefing room so thankfully, the briefing started quickly.

"Bring back Captain Nagase. Don't make us have to give her a posthumous two-rank promotion," The Base Commander said. He almost looked like he actually cared about someone other than himself… almost.

The briefer introduced himself with his 'clearing the throat' ritual (seriously, what is with that?). "We've succeeded in tracking down Captain Kei Nagase's distress beacon. We will now launch a combat search and rescue operation for the Captain. Captain Nagase is currently on the run from an enemy patrol. Although she's being pursued, her distress beacon is still broadcasting. The transmission is extremely weak, so we cannot confirm her location unless we get closer to the source of the signal. Follow the signal to find Captain Nagase's concealed location as quickly as possible. Once you find her, report her location to the Sea Goblin Helicopter Squadron. The helicopter search and rescue team is expecting to face stiff opposition from enemy air and ground forces. After the helicopter team picks up Captain Nagase, provide air support for them as they airlift her out."

Operation: Stray Sheep  
Location: Glubina  
Date: 2010/11/18  
Time: 0530 Hours

Geez, we wasted the time we could be saving her on the five minutes it took to brief us on the whole thing when we already knew that we had to protect the helicopter rescuing her. It's not that hard to figure out how the whole extraction thing is going to lay out but I guess the top brass found it necessary.

The three of us set out in a dead run for the hangar. Actually, we were racing. Chopper won, Blaze was second, and I was last but only by a little bit. Blaze chose F-14D's for all of us because they were fast and great for air-to-air combat. They were also Blaze's favorite plane if that hasn't been said already. I think we set a new record for time to get in the plane and to take off. I think it took us about five minutes for all of us to be up in the air heading towards Glubina.

When we reached Glubina, it was bright sunshine which was good because we wouldn't have to worry about not being able to see where we were going. The bad thing was that since it was pure sunshine, the enemy could have a good chance of capturing Nagase before us since they had terrain advantage since after all, this was their territory you know.

No pressure, right?

Nagase had her distress beacon on and we had an emergency locator beacon to help us find her. This was going to a rough day seeing as I could already see four enemy planes on the horizon.

"Alright y'all, let's find Nagase," Blaze chirped.

"This emergency locator beacon is our connection to Nagase. Let's hurry up and find her," Chopper urged.

"Before the enemy finds her," I added.

"Hang in there, Nagase!" Chopper hollered.

"We ain't letting that stupid enemy near my best friend a.k.a. my brother's girlfriend a.k.a. my wing woman a.k.a. Wardog 2 a.k.a. our best friend." Blaze took in a deep breath after saying all that because she didn't take a breath in between all the 'a.k.a.'s'. I wonder what the conversations are like between her and Chopper when they're alone. I mean, both of them can talk… a lot. Chopper's ability to talk a lot is obvious in all missions we go on. Blaze is more subtle but if you get on a subject that she likes (books, hot guys, movies, hot guys, shows, hot guys… you get my point), she can talk as much as Chopper.

"Boy, do I feel bad for the enemy," Chopper mused. I could hear the smirk he had on his face in his voice.

"Why? Because we're going to kick their butts?" Blaze queried.

"You're talking in a southern accent and that means you're either very, very angry, very, very determined, or very, very excited," he pointed out.

"What happens if it's all three?" she countered.

"Then the enemy should just bail out now because they're going to be shot down by you anyway," I replied.

"… Good. Well listen, y'all go keep those enemy planes busy while I search for Nagase."

"Roger," Chopper answered.

Not being able to resist, I said, "Wilco."

"Grimm!" he whined.

I was never able to come up with a logical conclusion in my head about why that word bugged him so much and I knew for a fact that he'd never tell me because that's Chopper.

Moving on from Chopper's weird pet peeves, Chopper and I split up to engage enemy aircraft because: 1) we had to keep them away from Nagase, 2) we had to keep them away from Blaze, and 3) Blaze had ordered us to. Yeah, we definitely listened to Blaze. I don't know what it is, but the way she gives orders just makes you listen to her. It's so cool. Maybe it's because she sounds so calm and collected when she says it, maybe it's because she's our best friend (fiancée in Chopper's case) and we feel we need to protect her, maybe it's because she seems so confident in her choice, or maybe it's because we're scared of what will happen if we don't listen to her. I think it's a combination of all four.

"Pay attention to the changes in the signal's pitch and tempo," Chopper cautioned.

"Right. I'll try to get a bearing that has a better response," I said.

"I'm okay… I can keep going…" Nagase breathed over her mic. We didn't always pick the things that she was saying up because her mic was so weak. We had to be a certain distance to her which was actually helpful if you think about it.

"Just keep going and make sure those enemies stay the hell away from you. We're coming!" Blaze exclaimed.

"Kid, do you understand how to view the distress signal sensor on your HUD?"

"Yes, I do. I have a really smartass comment to that but considering the situation, I'll save it for another time."

"Okay, just checking. Make sure you don't miss Nagase's signal…"

"Wasn't planning on missing it in the first place," Blaze grunted.

Okay, you know the feeling when you had a really bad break up with someone and then you two are seated next to each other and the tension is really high? That's what the tension was like, except it had nothing to do with breaking up. Well, earlier in another mission it did when Chopper and Blaze weren't speaking to each other but I'll shut up now because I'm probably confusing the hell out of you.

"Hey, Blaze, did you see someone below us just now?" Chopper inquired quickly. My head snapped to the right so I could look out. Maybe he _had_ seen someone and maybe that someone was Nagase!

"Yeah, I think I did…" Blaze responded, sounding dubious of herself.

"Ah… wait… that's not a person. Sorry, my mistake," Chopper apologized sheepishly.

"What was it?" Blaze asked.

Chopper suggested, "The abominable snowman?"

"You mean Bigfoot?" I corrected.

"Yeah, Bigfoot."

"You saw Chewbacca running down there?" Blaze was obviously trying not to laugh but I could still hear the mirth in her tone.

"Yeah, I think I did. Where's a camera when you need one?! I'm going to be a flipping billionaire!"

"Is Luke or Han anywhere down there?"

"Why do you want to know?" Chopper questioned suspiciously.

"We need help and what better way than to spook the enemy by having the _Millennium Falcon_ appear out of nowhere?" Blaze explained excitedly. I knew she was lying, that she really just wanted one of the guys, but I wasn't going to say anything.

"I think you just want to see Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. Yeah, I remember your crush on them when you were ten. Genette told me about it," Chopper said pompously.

Looks like I didn't need to say anything after all.

"Remind me to kill Genette when we get back to base, ok?" Blaze said.

"How much sleep did you two get last night?" I inquired, trying not to laugh.

"Uh… none?" Chopper replied.

"That explains so much right now."

"Hey!" he protested.

What? It does explain a lot…

The snow that covered the ground was evidence of the massive snowstorm that had happened last night. I knew that Nagase was having a hell of a time covering up her tracks. The snow itself was making it hard for us to see because we were being blinded by the light that was being reflected off of it. I wondered if the enemy was having trouble seeing everything. I hoped they were because that meant we would have more of an equal footing in the hunt for Nagase. I felt bad for Nagase. Her situation was sort of like the fox and the hound, where she was the fox and the rest of us were the hounds. At least for my side, we didn't want to take her as a POW.

"Enemy planes above! You see them?" A Yuke shouted.

"You won't be seeing us for long! Run bastards run!" Chopper fired back.

"Chopper, when we get back to base, you need to take a serious nap," I told her firmly.

"Shut up Grimm," he grumbled in response. I knew that he knew I was right but he didn't want to admit it.

"Never."

"I bet their order is to protect the captain of the squadron," A Yuke commented.

"Protect Blaze? … I'm the one being protected," Nagase said with a snort.

"Who's supposed to be protecting me? Oh god I'm so confused right now," Blaze muttered.

"In normal circumstances, we _would _be protecting you but right now our mission is to protect Nagase so I'm protecting both of you," Chopper said.

I zipped around, shooting down enemies, as I listened to Blaze and Chopper banter with each other. I have to say that their banter was easing the situation, not by much, but it was.

I'm not sure how many planes were up in the air. I had lost count after five… or maybe it was six. Ah, who cares? Let's just say there was an ass-load of enemy planes up there… unfortunately. Chopper and I had split up into taking two sides of the circle which was based on the direction Blaze was headed in which presumably is the direction Nagase was in. Blaze had gotten a good bearing with her locator so she was heading that way (I'm pretty sure going something like Mach 2 in the process).

"Ah!" Nagase yelped. "... I'm okay. I almost tripped on something."

"Be careful Nagase!" Blaze admonished worriedly.

"I'm trying! You and Chopper just keep up all that banter and wacky conversations and we'll be good."

"It probably helps that we got no sleep last night so our conversations will be wackier than ever," Chopper laughed.

"I've already noticed that," Nagase joked.

"I- hey!" defended Chopper.

Blaze started cracking up over the mic. I mean like uncontrollably. It went on for five minutes of nonstop, hysterical, sometimes high-pitched, girl giggling. She sounded like she was five years old. It was that kind of laugh that was, what's the word? Addicting? No… contagious I think it is. I guess you could call it that because soon Chopper was laughing, then I was, then Nagase was. I think we all needed some sleep.

Blaze tried to stammer something out but the 'giggles' consumed her once again, leaving her in a hysterical laughing fit.

"I found footprints. This way," A Yuke ordered. We ignored him. He didn't sound excited enough for it to actually be something.

Plus we were laughing way too hard at the moment.

Between laughs, Blaze asked, H-have you ever… th-thought… that they're yours and… that you're going in… circles?"

She could barely stammer out the sentence because of her giggling fit.

"What if she's right?" A Yuke queried.

"Just keep going moron," the enemy's comrade snapped in annoyance before adding, "Support team, hurry up and finish 'em off!"

"What is wrong with you four? Did you have a drinking party last night?" Thunderhead demanded.

"No, but if we did, you wouldn't be invited. You talk way too much as it already is!" Chopper kidded.

"Uh, sorry, Thunderhead. They didn't get much sleep last night…" I informed. Thunderhead grumbled something about rude, conceited pilots but he shut up. I'm just glad Chopper didn't say something embarrassing involving me.

"Hey, Thunderhead, did you know that Grimm calls you-" Chopper began but I interrupted, "Chopper! Shut up!"

Oh god. I spoke too soon.

"What do you call me Grimm?" Thunderhead inquired, but it was obvious he wanted an answer.

"Umm… awesome?" I replied as nicely as I could, which was kind of hard considering that Thunderhead, along with everyone else on base, treated my friends and I like outcasts. Not something I appreciate, you know?

"Right…"

Crap…

Damn you Chopper…

Well, while I start strangling Chopper with my mind, I'll update you a little bit. Blaze was still heading towards Nagase. She had gotten distracted by her giggling fit and some ground defenses and had lost the signal for a little bit. However, she found it once her giggling had subsided… somewhat…

Chopper was busy herding planes away from Blaze meaning he was pushing them over to my side. Actually, we had the whole thing planned out. Chopper would push them over to me; I would go head on with them and shoot them down. It was working pretty well so far.

"My locator is about to go haywire! I'm getting closer to her!" Blaze observed ecstatically.

"Sea Goblin to Wardog leader. I'm homing in on your signal. The signal's changing. Looks like you're gradually getting closer to Captain Nagase."

"Noooo, really Sherlock? I haven't noticed," Blaze replied.

"Captain Banks!" Thunderhead roared.

"Yes Thunderhead?" she asked innocently.

"How much did you have to drink last night?"

"I know you won't believe me when I say none but I had none. I just got no sleep last night so I'm a bit loopy."

"A bit is the understatement of the year."

"Trust me Thunderhead, she's not lying. I know that's unbelievable but Blaze doesn't drink… ever!" I told him.

"Yes I do!" she interjected.

"With champagne at weddings not counting."

"I… oh… okay, yeah, I don't drink…" she admitted.

I so got her with that one.

"Not meaning to ruin this lovely conversation about Blaze and Chopper acting drunk even when they're not drunk, but can you hurry up and find me please? It's kind of cold…" Nagase said as nicely as she could.

* * *

**Nagase**

I trudged through the snow with the gunship crew right behind me. We were making a lot of headway considering we had no clue where we were going. I could hear the roar of fighter jets (over the drunk-but-not-drunk conversation about Blaze and Chopper) and I knew that three of those engines were Blaze, Chopper and Grimm. Man, I couldn't wait to get out of this snowy hell and back to base where I could sip hot cocoa and _sleep_. Oh my god sleep sounded so good right now. My eyes suddenly felt droopy like I could barely keep them open.

* * *

**Grimm**

"I'm getting closer!" Blaze exclaimed. Right when Blaze said that, our radars went on the fritz. Could our luck get any worse?

"That's a jammer craft," Chopper announced grimly.

"It's being jammed!" I added.

"Dammit! Get the hell out of my way you annoying little twerp! I had enough of you in our tenth mission when we were blamed for something we didn't do! You're some freaking S.O.B.'s," Blaze ranted, shocking me at her almost usage of a cuss word.

"Blaze, calm down. You can kick everyone's butt here so you don't have to worry about shooting it down," I told her sincerely.

"It doesn't change the fact that they're a pain in the ass," she grunted.

"True."

"Eleven o'clock! Something just moved in the forest!" A Yuke hollered.

"Crap! That may be Nagase they've found! Nagase! Are you alright?!" Blaze demanded.

"Captain Nagase! Can you hear me?! I can't relax until I hear your voice," I admitted rather quietly. I'm not necessarily one to let it show that I'm worried but hey, my best friend was down there. I think I deserve some slack.

"I'm fine for now…" Nagase answered. Tell me that it's not just me when I say that her answer wasn't very reassuring. Is it just me? I mean, it shouldn't be because it doesn't seem assuring to me and… what the hell am I talking about? Looks like Blaze and Chopper are rubbing off on me way too much. My mind is in overdrive right now and my adrenaline is way too high right now, so I'll admit I'm probably a little off my rocker. Blaze and Chopper fell off of their rockers a long time ago. It seems strange to me that Nagase seems the sanest of all of us and she's the one that has to worry about being captured. Does that seem bass-ackwards to you? Is bass-ackwards even a word? It is now.

Blaze was in the process of destroying the jammer craft that was actually pretty nimble. Blaze rarely misses when she shoots so you can imagine that she got super pissed off when she shot at it and the missile missed… haha the missile missed. That's fun to say! The missile missed…

I think I'm going crazy…

"We need the enemy pilot alive!" A Yuke warned.

"Take that you little sucker! Jammer craft down! Yahoo!" Blaze notified happily. She turned in a circle when she suddenly righted up. She started heading towards one spot. I knew why. Her locator was going haywire (I could hear it over the mic). She was really close to Nagase.

"The signal's getting stronger. Nagase's around here somewhere," Chopper noted.

"Thanks for that news flash," retorted Blaze.

"Anytime."

"I've heard that engine sound before… Blaze, is that you?" Nagase questioned hopefully. No offense, but maybe Nagase isn't as sane as I thought she was because how the hell can she tell engine sounds apart? There's no way I could do that. Pops probably could because he's awesome like that but not Nagase.

"I'll be all right. I know Blaze will come for me…" Nagase declared softly and confidently.

"Oi, what about me?" Chopper queried.

"And Grimm," Nagase added.

"Hey!" Chopper protested.  
"And Chopper. Better now motormouth?"

"No, not really, but I'd rather drop the subject."

"The response is going! Holy crap I think it's on drugs it's going so haywire!" Blaze observed. I could hear the beeping over the mic whenever Blaze would talk and yeah, I would say it was going completely beserk on her considering the pitch was higher than Blaze's giggle (and trust me, that girl can go pretty high with her giggles).

"Response up… and increasing! She's right around here!" I said.

"I know! I know!"

"Captain Davenport, Captain Grimm, do you have time to go destroy the ground defenses?" Thunderhead queried.

"We don't have any time! The enemy's right there!" Chopper shot back.

"When we locate Nagase, then we will, but for now, we have to deal with air enemies," I replied.

An enemy helicopter flew right past my plane as I swerved to avoid a missile from a plane that was following me. It was the first plane that day that had been able to get behind one of us because we were all being so zippy. I swear our speedometers or whatever the hell they're called (I'm tired, my brain isn't functioning, and I'm forgetting the parts of the plane. Let's just hope I remember which button I need to press to put the landing gear down) didn't drop below 500 mph. Chopper came to my rescue, even though I was doing just fine on my own (I'm not a D.I.D.) and shot the plane down.

The flyer of a Yuke helicopter said, "They better hurry, or else the enemy will get to him first!"

"Keep your eyes open. He's got to be hiding somewhere!" A Yuke deducted.

"It's a girl you twerps!" Blaze snapped.

"Twerps?" I chuckled.

"What? I'm _expanding_ my vocabulary."

"Riiight, and I'm supposed to believe that?"

"Yes, you are!"

"I believe you!" Chopper jumped in. I knew he was feeling left out of the conversation so he had to get his two-bits in. I should start calling him Two-Bit, like the guy from the _Outsiders_.

"You're supposed to say that, you're my fiancé," Blaze said, laughing.

"Not necessarily."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that I don't always have to agree with you."

"But you still do anyways."

"I certainly do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Han, Leia, focus on the mission at hand here!" I ordered.

"What? Are you trying to use some kickass Jedi mind tricks on us? Because we're too stubborn for it to work on us," Chopper replied.

"I had to try and get you two to shut up somehow," I acknowledged.

"Hey!" Blaze objected. I just laughed. I knew Chopper was going to do something to me in a few days to get back at me for all my sarcasm but hey, it was all worth it. They did sound like Han and Leia, especially from the fifth Star Wars movie.

That's when I heard gunfire over the radio. Had they found Nagase?

"You idiot! Hold your fire!" A Yuke barked angrily at his compatriot.

"They're firing at me. I'm moving away," Nagase notified.

* * *

**Nagase**

I ran, along with the gunship crew, away from the source of the firing which happened to be too damn close for my comfort. Of course, they could be eighteen miles away from me and that would still be too close for comfort.

While I was running, I tripped and did a face plant in the snow. Despite the situation (and probably because I was so loopy from being so tired), I started laughing. The gunship crew looked at me with amused smirks as they helped me up. We started running when I was back on my feet.

"Several dozen enemy soldiers. They're about 300 yards east of here," I informed.

"Be careful Nagase! I'm almost to you! Besides, if they get you, I'm bailing out and staying with you," Blaze claimed.

"No you're not," Chopper said bluntly.

"Who's going to stop me?" Blaze remarked.

"Me, Chopper, Genette, Cassie, and Nagase."

"Good luck with that," she said airily. I was sort of Blaze's side. No one could control her. They could suggest things to her but that didn't mean she'd listen. Blaze liked to do things her way. Usually, it worked out quite well for her. I don't know how seeing as how some of the stuff she did was incredibly stupid or risky.

All of a sudden, a plane whizzed right over my head, interrupting my thoughts. I knew who it was immediately.

"Blaze!" I cried joyously.

"Ahhhh! I found her!" Blaze squealed, making me grin.

"Yahoo!" Grimm shouted victoriously.

Chopper hollered, "Great balls of fire!"

**Mission Update**

* * *

**Grimm**

"This is Sea Goblin. Wardog, have you found her?"

"Yes! Why do you think we're celebrating?!" Blaze asked, her tone giving the impression that a great burden had just been lifted off her shoulders.

"Roger. Good job. You have good eyes. We'll move in for the rescue."

Blaze laughed merrily as she flew towards the helicopter that would be airlifting Nagase and the gunship crew out. Chopper and I followed her. We were going to protect that helicopter if it was the last thing we did. We were getting Nagase back no matter what. We had destroyed most of the ground defenses so there wasn't much to do except shoot down some enemy planes here and there.

"While we're on our way, eliminate those enemy fighters for us. We need to make sure this place is safe," Sea Goblin commanded.

"You can count on us. _Please_ bring her back safely," Blaze responded.

"Don't worry. We'll take you princess back to base safely."

"You do that, and I'll worship you guys," Chopper promised jokingly.

Yeah, Chopper doesn't worship anyone but Blaze… except maybe AC/DC.

The helicopter was slow compared to me, Chopper, and Blaze. Then again, we were determined to shoot down every single enemy aircraft that came within two hundred yards of that helicopter. Pretty much, if you want a vision of how we were protecting the helicopter, imagine the helicopter as the sun and us three as planets revolving around it. We went in god knows how many circles protecting that helicopter.

"I'll shoot down every single plane that comes near the helicopter," I avowed firmly.

"Keep it up Grimm!" Blaze encouraged before, "Hey… what's that on the ground?"

"Whoa, whoa! There are still enemies on the ground!" Chopper pointed out.

"Thank you for that announcement Chopper. Now I can't freaking HEAR!" I griped.

"Well, at least now you know. Now you won't be shot down," He replied casually.

"I wasn't planning on being shot down in the first place."

"Neither was Nagase." At first I didn't make sense of his statement seeing as how Nagase was on the ground, but then I realized he meant our last mission when she was shot down.

"You two sound like Han and Chewbacca arguing about what they need to fix the _Falcon_," Blaze observed humorously.

"What's with all the Star Wars references today?" Nagase queried.

Blaze pretended to reminisce about the whole subject. "It all started when Chopper hallucinated and thought he saw Chewy running through the forest below us."

"I wasn't hallucinating! I was just seeing things!" Chopper argued.

"Chopper, seeing things are what hallucinations are," Nagase pointed out.

"Cut me some slack! I got no sleep!"

"We've established that several times already."

Chopper grumbled something undecipherable over the mic. Nagase was laughing which was a good sign. At least the enemy hadn't scared the humor out of her. Of course, being around Chopper, I don't think there isn't anyone on the planet that he couldn't make laugh. Maybe the Base Commander and Hamilton because they were pompous asses (I know Blaze liked Hamilton (as a person) so I didn't say that he was a pompous ass in front of her). Why she liked Hamilton, I have no clue but she did. It's probably because he was nice to Genette when the Base Commander wasn't. The Base Commander isn't nice to anyone except Hamilton… somewhat.

I know this is going to sound super random but I've think we've crossed that line several times already so I'm going to ask: do you think the base commander hides donuts in one of those locked file cabinets? I barely see him come out of his office and it's obvious he loves food so how does he get it unless he has a secret food stash? When he's out of his office one day, I'm going to find that secret hidden stash of donuts. I'm adding that to my bucket list that I have just now created in my head.

"Did you find Captain Nagase?" I questioned, switching off the discursive thoughts in my mind.

"Sea Goblin hasn't reached her yet if that's what you mean," Blaze answered.

"This is Sea Goblin. We're moving to the scene as fast as we can. Let me know when you've confirmed Captain Nagase's position!"

"We have moron!" Chopper growled furiously.

I heard someone whispering something over the mic.

"Uh, this is Sea Goblin. Disregard that last sentence I said."

"Please, that was a complete blonde moment. I'm going to write a book of blonde things that I've done and seen, whether the person is blonde or not," Chopper stated.

"You'll be the star of it," Blaze kidded.

"I was going to say the same about you," he countered.

Being the stars of it would be an understatement. Hell, Blaze and Chopper would need their own volumes.

"Hurry up, guys. What're you gonna do if the enemy catches her?" Chopper complained.

"Calm down. We're going as fast as we can," Sea Goblin assured.

"Sorry we're a little pushy. We're not usually like this," Blaze said guiltily.

"I've heard that you didn't get any sleep last night and seeing how it's your friend down there, I can understand your impatience."

"Don't take any chances! You'll get shot down yourself!" Chopper cautioned.

"Chopper, who are you talking to?" I asked.

"Sea Goblin."

"We'll just have to count on you if that happens!" Sea Goblin interjected.

A plane got dangerously close to the helicopter. So naturally, Chopper got in front the plane and the helicopter.

"Over here! I'm the one you want!" Chopper declared.

"Bandit down!" Blaze informed.

"How many have you shot down?" I demanded.

"Um, five, I think," she replied.

"And you didn't think to mention this to us?"

"Sorry, I'm kind of distracted."

"This is Sea Goblin. The enemy's targeting us!"

I heard Chopper snort over the mic. "Um, not to sound rude or anything, but they've been targeting you."

"Uh, you guys better hurry because the enemy is closing in on me," Nagase said, trying not to sound anxious but I could hear it easily.

"We're not letting them get to you. Do you have any weapon on you?" Blaze replied.

"I have a pistol from one of the crewmen but that's it."

"Fire that if you have to."

"I plan on it."

"Six miles," Sea Goblin announced.

Six miles too long. There was no way they were going to make it in time! What were they doing? Playing spin the bottle? Ugh, why did I think of that? That is not an image I wanted to think about.

"Hey, so this Captain Nagase, is she a looker?" One of the Sea Goblin guys asked cockily.

Blaze snorted over the mic. I knew what she was thinking. This guy had no clue that Nagase was completely off the market. I mean way off the single-and-ready-to-mingle market. I think Blaze was going to tell him after they rescued Nagase so she could completely embarrass him because that's what Genette would do. Genette looks like a harmless reporter but he can actually be a conniving little person. That's why he and Chopper get along so well. Everyone knows that Chopper is a prankster, not everyone knows that about Genette. He's helped Chopper with most of his pranks. Bet you didn't know that!

"Why don't you rescue her and see for yourself," Chopper remarked, sounding rather incensed.

"If she's hot, I'm asking her out."

"Well then, you can find out how tough her guard is, too. C'mon, just hurry up, will ya? Please."

"Besides, I don't think my brother would like you asking out his girlfriend," Blaze commented.

There were howls of laughter on the mic from the helicopter. I could barely hear the guy that had said he was going to ask Nagase out if she was hot stammering something that no one could make out. I could hear Nagase chuckling too. Hell, we were all laughing except that one guy. What is it with guys hitting on Blaze and Nagase on missions? First it happened to Blaze, now it's happening to Nagase. What is it with these girls?

Sea Goblin disrupted our conversation, saying, "Enemy force advancing. Can you take them out for us?"

"Roger that. You take care of the rescue," I responded.

"Is the rescue team back yet? Did they pick her up?!" Chopped demanded.

"You need to learn patience," Sea Goblin muttered.

"Oh sure, I'll be patient. I mean, it's not like my best friend is down there getting chased by some Yuke bastards in the snow and all. Yeah, I have no reason to be impatient," Chopper said sardonically. You have to admit, Chopper had a point there.

Almost all of the enemy planes were gone. I counted two more. God knows how many we had shot down. I saw a ground defense on my radar. We must've missed it during all the chaos. I went down to destroy it but Blaze beat me to it. Oh well.

The sun was super bright, making it hard to see. However, it was about twenty degrees outside. The temperature was deceptive. Not to mention that it was pretty windy out so that made the temperature feel more like zero degrees. Poor Nagase.

"This is Sea Goblin. It's too hot here!"

"Dudes, it's twenty degrees out. That's not hot!" Chopper said.

"We don't mean _outside_. We mean _inside_ the helicopter."

That made more sense; I mean, them saying that it was hot _inside_ the helicopter because I was going to say, it's definitely not hot outside!

"We're gonna have to rely on you on the ground. Pull through for us, okay?" I told them.

"Roger that. We owe you one from yesterday," Sea Goblin replied.

"Whoa, are some of you from the internment camp?" Blaze queried in astonishment.

"Only a couple of us."

"Are y'all all right?!"

"We're fine. We want to come to show those Yukes that it takes a lot more to get us out of commission."

"I like y'all!" Blaze remarked cheerfully.

I followed Sea Goblin to a tee. They were almost to Nagase. Who knew that military helicopters didn't move that fast? I always thought they were faster. Fighter jets are like sports cars, the transport planes are like Mack trucks, and the helicopters are like smart cars. They just don't go that fast. Did you like my analogies?

"These guys are too good. We can't win if we go head-on!" A Yuke observed.

"That's right cowards! Go! Run! Smokey's on your tail!" Blaze rambled.

"Blaze, chillax. Seriously, you're almost worse than Chopper," I said.

"No! I want to be the worst!" Chopper moaned.

"Well that little outburst right there just did make you the worst."

"Yes!" Chopper cheered.

"Four miles," Sea Goblin notified.

"Really?! Four miles? After all that talk and you're still four flipping miles from her?! Ugh!" Blaze groaned impatiently.

Okay, I know that the helicopters don't move fast but I mean _COME ON_! How long does it freaking take to get to Nagase? Good freaking god! I'm usually not that intolerant but this is getting ridiculous. I've been flying in circles for like, ten minutes. Okay, it's only been something like three but I was getting claustrophobic now. They needed to hurry up.

"Kobold, you deal with the pursuing units! I'll go save the princess!" One of the Sea Goblin guys directed.

"That's definitely her! I can see her flight suit from here!" another guy said.

They could see her! Thank god!

"Two miles," Sea Goblin announced. "Hold on, I got your back!"

"Dammit, I think the enemy helicopter's spotted the pilot!" A Yuke grunted.

"It wasn't like we were actually going to let you get her!" Chopper laughed. "Are you guys really that big of idiots?"

"Sea Goblin arriving at designated point momentarily."

"Finally! Hang in there Nagase!" I encouraged.

"Awesome! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Blaze said gleefully.

"Thank you! Y'all are our knights in shining armor!" Chopper joined in.

I grinned at Sea Goblin's confused response. "Uh, you're welcome."

Blaze had gotten behind one of the last enemy planes. There had been two left but three more had come in as backup so… we kind of kicked a trio of enemy plane's asses to put it nicely. Okay, it was more like we beat them to a pulp but yeah.

"He's at your six o'clock! Break right! Shake him off! Hurry!" A Yuke fighter urged his comrade.

"Your butt is mine!" Blaze hissed. She fired her guns at it relentlessly. The plane didn't stand a chance against her and sure enough, it blew up.

The helicopter was almost there… almost there!

**Mission Accomplished**

"All right, prepare to drop! Don't make her wait any longer!" The helicopter ordered.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Blaze cheered. Chopper was whooping with delight and I was yelling right along with him.

"Everyone ready! Go, go, go!" Sea Goblin directed.

"Rescue team dropping from helicopter! I was really worried there for a while," I confessed.

"Me too Grimm… me too," Blaze agreed.

* * *

**Nagase**

I had my gun pointed at soldiers that had been after me with the Osean gunship crew behind me. His arms were up and he stood perfectly still. Blaze, Chopper, and Grimm were cheering as I heard the roar of a helicopter reach my ears, and with a warning look telling the enemy soldier not to try anything he was going to regret, I looked up. It was an Osean helicopter. I smiled up at them as they lowered a rescue team to lift me and the crewmen up. They took the two gunship crewmen first; then they took me.

Chopper I guess decided it was too quiet again because he questioned, "You got a towel? I need to wipe this sweat off my brow."

"Sorry, I don't have a towel," Blaze responded with a chuckle.

"Ahh…" he sighed. "Glad that's over with. Say, Blaze, I think that song would be perfect for a time like this, you know?"

"No, not really," she said.

"Really? Didn't you say the other day that you liked that song?"

"Yes, but I don't think it is the perfect song for right now."

"What song?" I asked.

"_I Will Not Bow_ by Breaking Benjamin."

"That's a great song!" I exclaimed.

"I know right?!"

With that being said, we all shut up because we were doggone tired. Sea Goblin followed us to Sand Island. When it landed, we had already been on base for ten minutes (it's so freaking slow!). They let me get off first. Genette was the first to get to me which makes sense seeing as how he's my boyfriend. The hug was followed by Blaze who nearly suffocated me. Chopper was next, then Cassie, then Grimm. Once all the hugging was done (and after I was bombarded with our "are you alright?" questions), we headed to the briefing room except for me because I had to go have a physician check on my condition.

* * *

**Genette**

I was anxious to get out of the briefing room and to go see Nagase. Thankfully, all the briefer said was, "Our combat search-and-rescue of Captain Nagase was a success. We're having a physician check on her condition right now."

It wasn't much of a briefing. We knew the rescue operation had succeeded, I mean, Wardog was kind of there when it happened. And we knew she was having a physician check up on her. I sometimes wonder if the top brass on base are thinking when they do half the things they do.

When the rescue team found her, she was holding captive a group of soldiers who were sent in to capture her. Behind her was the helicopter crew that crashed while trying to rescue her. She had saved them, healed their wounds, and hid them in a safe place.

I needed to rethink my image of her after this, after seeing her amazing toughness and tenacity.

She even managed to obtain a little information from the soldiers she captured. It seems the people of Yuktobania were also beginning to have doubts about their leaders and the current war… I really couldn't blame them. I was one of those people questioning the authority involved.

Oh, and word of Nagase's squadron, the squadron that my _sister_ was captain of (I'm so proud of her!), was getting around, as the force that sunk two of their most powerful submarines. The Yuke Army's soldiers had nicknamed them 'The Demons of Razgriz.' She was obviously very proud of that when she told me about it later. Perhaps her pride was for Captain Bartlett, the man who had trained them. Or maybe it was for her current Captain. However, nobody in the upper echelons of her own Army was proud of them. Bartlett was still missing, and that made his old trainees the subject of suspicion and criticism. Why, I'm not sure. Perhaps they thought that the Wardog Squadron was a bunch of spies for Yuktobania or something ludicrous like that. Blaze would never be a traitor against her own country. None of them would (meaning the Wardog Squadron). I couldn't say that about some other people on base (*cough* Bailey Cohen *cough*) but I was positive that the Wardog Squadron would never do that.

* * *

**Hamilton**

Nagase was back safe and sound, and Blaze was bouncing off the walls from excitement. She actually hugged me when she passed me. It was kind of weird but I couldn't help but laugh somewhat. It was more from shock than anything else. Chopper even said hi to me and we hate each other. Blaze was there though so that probably had something to do with it. Did you know that Blaze used to like me? Yeah, I was pretty shocked when I found out. Then Chopper came and she practically forgot who she was when she was around him and I knew she had forgotten all about her crush on me. After her random hug, she ran away off to her room saying something about logging on to a website called FanFiction and reading a story by Wildcat717. Cassie explained what Blaze was talking about. Cassie must've seen the confused look I had.

During all the commotion, I went to my office and went to work digging up information on Blaze's uncle. File after file, there was nothing pertaining to him or his whereabouts. It was like he had never existed. I knew he was a mercenary, I knew that he disappeared off the face of the planet after the war, I knew he was real, but I couldn't find out his callsign or the country that had hired him or his acquaintances. Again, it was as if he never existed which leads me to the conclusion that he is in fact the 'Demon Lord,' but until I can get good proof, I can't be sure. I'm sure Blaze knows. If her uncle, Jason Banks, really was the "Demon Lord," then he would've told her and Genette, there's no doubt in my mind.

With a sigh, I once again typed up Jason Banks, knowing I was going to get the same blank results in the Osean database.

Sure enough, all I got was there was no person in the Osean Database by that name during that time period blah, blah, blah. I couldn't look into any other database because I didn't have the clearance. Hell, no one on base did. However, I did have 'acquaintances' you could say in other countries near Osea. Maybe they could help me out. They all owed me favors anyway so I decided what the hell? I was going to call them.

The first man I called was Hanson McGregor, a former ace of the Sapin Air Force. He immediately agreed to do some digging up for me because he had nothing better to do at that moment.

The next man was Yuri Jamieson, a former ace of the Ustian Air Force. He was reluctant at first but finally agreed after much prodding by me.

The last man I called was a former Belkan ace, who happened to be my best friend, Kirk Lanchester. I had barely spoken the words 'Demon Lord' and 'help search' before he cut me off saying he was already looking into it.

You might be wondering why I am having a Belkan look up the 'Demon Lord.' What if the 'Demon Lord' was a deserter? What if he was a mercenary for Belka (we didn't have many) but decided to join the enemy? It is possible you know.

Sitting back in my chair, I waited impatiently for them to call me back. I was going to find out who Jason Banks was. I was going to make sure I did. The curiosity was killing me.

* * *

**How did you like it? I know I ask that at the end of every chapter practically but I really want to know! Sorry it took me so long to update but I had lots of homework already (second day of school too) and my IPod Touch is being all screwy with my headphones. See, when I plug in my headphones, it's way off tone, but if I push the headphones to the left, it's clear as a bell. It's nothing to do with the headphones because they're brand new. It's the headphone jack. If anyone knows how to fix that, please let me know!**


	18. Desert Lightning

**Hi! One more chapter until my least favorite chapter. Y'all know why. Now, since mission 16 has two different missions you could choose from, I simply chose my favorite of the two and that's mission 16B. Hope you don't mind for those who like mission 16A better. Also, I realized after I received a question on what "D.I.D"****means and I had been meaning to put its meaning at the end of the chapter but my mind blanked and I forgot SO, D.I.D means "Damsel in Distress." Hope that helps if there was any confusion in the last chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 18: Desert Lightning

**Grimm**

**November 20, 2011…**

Right when we got back to base, Nagase was taken to the infirmary for 'observation,' whatever the hell that means. Maybe they were making sure she hadn't been brainwashed or something. They weren't that clear on it. On the bright side, we had been allowed to visit her. She was going nuts inside the white room. White all over is kind of scary. This is going to sound weird but a fear of mine is an all white room so I better make sure nothing ever happens to me or they're going to put me in a straightjacket because I'm going to start wigging out in the all white room.

Moving on from me and my weird phobias, it was two days after Nagase had been shot down and she had finally been released. She, Blaze, and Cassie were in Blaze's room chatting about who knows what. I was walking past Blaze's room, looking down at my phone when I realized that Chopper had his ear pressed up against Blaze's door.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Shh!" Chopper hissed.

"Dude, you have to listen to this! It's hilarious!" Chopper whispered. I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion but did as he said. Genette came up behind us and Chopper told him the same thing so I was sure they security people were wondering what the hell we were doing listening in on Blaze's room.

"My brother better be taking good care of you or I'm gonna kick his butt all the way to Cinigrad!" Blaze exclaimed. Genette gulped.

"Your brother is taking care of me, I promise!" Nagase sounded exasperated.

"Hey, remember the time that you actually did kick your brother in the butt?" Cassie asked. Genette groaned quietly. Chopper and I were grinning.

"You_ actually_ kicked your brother in the butt?" Nagase sounded amused.

"Oh yeah! Well that was because this girl was completely in love with him and she came up to him to ask what the homework assignment was and she was a straight A student. So when I found out, I kicked him in the butt because it was so obvious this girl liked him and he had no freaking idea that she did," Blaze explained. Chopper and I were smothering our laughter. Nagase was cracking up.

"Poor Genette," Nagase said.

"Remember the time that you whistled at that guy in the hall but you didn't think he could hear you but I turned around and he was grinning at us?" Cassie inquired.

"… Don't remind me," Blaze muttered. "I'd rather have you remind me of all the times I've ran into poles."

"Okay then. How about the time that there were the two guys you liked and they were walking down the hall and you turn to look to look at me, look back in front of you, and run into the pole?"

"Really Blaze? You got that distracted by a guy?" Nagase inquired incredulously.

"What? I wasn't called boy crazy for nothing," Blaze defended.

"I remember those two. She and Cassie even had a nickname for them!" Genette whispered.

"So have you and Chopper figured out a date for the wedding?" Nagase asked.

"Nah, we're waiting until after this war is over. Hell, I haven't even figured out what color scheme it's going to be. I'm leaning towards blue," Blaze answered kind of slowly.

"I like that," Chopper agreed quietly.

"That would be beautiful! Just make sure if you wear three inch stilettos that you don't step on someone's toe like at our Homecoming dance freshmen year," Cassie warned.

"What?!" Nagase exclaimed.

"What? I like shoes… especially when they're stilettos," Blaze declared.

"Understatement of the year," Genette grumbled.

"I like to feel tall," Blaze said.

"Because you're not tall enough already?" Nagase remarked.

"Nope," Blaze replied cheerily.

"So, I was wondering, when you went to Chopper's place, did you go to that restaurant downtown? What's it called? Mimi's? Sisi's?" Cassie asked.

"It's Mimi's and yes we did go there. Chopper didn't need much prodding because he loves the place," Blaze answered.

"They do have great French toast!" Cassie declared.

"Don't forget the scones!" Blaze added.

"Doesn't Mimi's have a really good grape jelly?" Nagase questioned.

"Yes they do!" Cassie replied.

"Mmm, grape jelly…" Blaze sighed.

"Do you remember who likes grape jelly?" Cassie asked.

"Who?" Nagase inquired.

"SODAPOP PATRICK CURTIS! I LOVE HIM!" Blaze practically shouted.

"Oh my god! Calm down Blaze!" Nagase laughed.

"He is soooooo gorgeous!" Cassie exclaimed.

"Did you see that eight pack on him in the movie? Oh my freaking god," Blaze said.

"Ooh! I remember him! I was in love with him when we watched that movie in school!" Nagase added.

Blaze laughed. "You do not want to know what Cassie and I did…"

"You really don't," Genette said to us.

"What did they do?" I asked.

"Blaze and Cassie carried pictures of the greasers in their back pockets everywhere they went and Blaze and Cassie also watched that movie, I swear to god, over a hundred times. It was insane," Genette explained.

"Wooow," Chopper and I said.

"Wouldn't it be funny if the guys were listening in on this conversation?" Cassie asked.

"Yes. It would be even funnier if I opened the door when they were listening in and we caught them," Blaze mused, her smirk evident in her voice. I tried to stop myself from laughing. The girls had no clue we were actually listening in on them.

"That would be funny. So what do you want to do now?" Nagase questioned.

"I don't know but I do want to know if… you three enjoyed our conversation?" Blaze smirked at us as she opened the door; she crossed her arms. We all straightened up as Cassie and Nagase came over to join Blaze.

"You have five seconds," Cassie informed us. We laughed nervously but stopped when the girls started counting down. In other words, we bolted. They reached one and I heard pounding steps behind us. Chopper, Genette, and I were grinning as we watched the girls close in on us. They were barefoot… crap…

The boots we were wearing were slowing us down. It was only a matter of time before they caught us. We somehow reached Chopper's room without getting caught and we slammed the door shut. The girls' footsteps stopped as we collapsed to the floor snickering.

"You know they're going to get back at us right?" Genette told us between laughs.

"Yep, we just have to be ready," Chopper said. We got up and carefully walked out of Chopper's room after an hour had gone by because we didn't think the girls would wait an hour just to hit us or whatever they wanted to do to us.

"Hey y'all!" Blaze shouted. We started to go back into Chopper's room. "Oh for god's sake, I'm not going to do anything. There's no one around to enjoy it besides me and where's the fun in that?"

Reluctantly we listened to her.

"Listen, Pops needed help in the hangar so I told him that we would do it," Blaze explained.

"I'm going to call Pops and ask him," Genette declared.

"I'm offended that you don't trust me but go right ahead," Blaze said. Patiently we waited for Genette to ask Pops if he needed their help. Genette came back.

"He really does need our help," Genette admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

"See? It wasn't a trick. Now come on. I don't want to keep Pops waiting," Blaze said. She turned around and we followed her. The walk to the hangar was short. Blaze seemed kind of mad at us for eavesdropping so we let her walk a little ways ahead of us.

Blaze walked into the hangar, greeting Pops merrily.

"Hello Blaze!" Pops replied.

We walked into the hangar… and got dumped on with water. Blaze was cracking up as Chopper, Genette, and I looked up to see Cassie and Nagase laughing with buckets in their hands.

"Come here, Blaze," Chopper said, holding out his arms.

"I'll think I'll pass," Blaze replied, backing up.

"No really, I insist," Chopper countered, walking towards her. Blaze turned around to run but she was up against the star running back of Genette's football team. She had no hope as Chopper wrapped his arms around her. Blaze struggled to try and break free but Chopper kept a firm grip on her.

"Alright, fun's over. I actually do need your help," Pops chuckled. Chopper released Blaze. The back of her shirt was soaking wet. Of course, compared to me, Chopper, and Genette, she was considered dry.

"Hey, uh, Pops, can I go change into some dry clothes?" I asked. Pops just laughed and waved me and Chopper and Genette off. We took that as a signal that we could go change which is exactly what we did. If it had been in the summer time, I might've just left on my soaking wet clothes but seeing as how it was the middle of November, I really didn't want to get pneumonia.

We mainly helped Pops with moving some parts to a certain place in the hangar. I'm not sure how he had it all organized but it seemed to make sense to him for whatever… strange reason.

It was around nine at night, we had all taken a break to go eat dinner, when Pops finally announced that we were done for the night. It might've had something to do with it being ten degrees out and none of us could feel our hands much less move stuff around. So, after bidding Pops goodnight, we headed to our rooms.

* * *

**November 25, 2011…**

It had been five days since Blaze, Cassie, and Nagase had dumped water on my head along with Chopper and Genette's. We were in the middle of planning our revenge in Genette's room when Hamilton pounded on our door. That guy had a serious obsession with pounding on doors. A simple knock would do.

"Suit up! There's a briefing in five minutes!" Hamilton yelled. I scrambled up to go to my room. I was suited up in four minutes, meaning I had a minute to get to the briefing room… which was on the other side of the base. Wonderful…

I booked it to the briefing room and I got there in the nick of time. Right after I sat down, the base commander started talking.

"This is it, people," He said. "Our ground forces will engage in a decisive battle with the enemy's main force in the Jilachi Desert. It'll be an enormous battle. If our Army wins this showdown of military might, we'll just be a hair away from total victory. You'll be responsible for neutralizing the enemy ground forces that are blocking our Army's advance on the left flank of the front lines. Osea's relying on you people. Don't let us down."

"No pressure…" I heard Chopper grumble so where only Blaze, Nagase, Cassie, Genette, and I could hear. We all suppressed our smiles.

The briefer entered the room with his usual stern face. He faced the room and began the formal briefing. "This mission will be referred to as "Operation Desert Blitz." Yuktobania has an airfield in the western region of the Jilachi Desert and an oil facility protected by defense positions in the southern part of the desert. These two locations are the target of this operation. The 2nd Tank Battalion will handle the airship, while the 3rd Tank Battalion will capture the oil facility. Your mission is to cover both of the ground forces as they advance. This operation will unfold across the southern region of the Jilachi Desert, but we expect fierce enemy resistance within the entire area. It's been reported that several enemy tank platoons have taken up positions around the airstrip, one of your mission targets. You'll be up against a large number of enemy forces, so choose your opponents carefully. Don't try to take on all of them. Destroying a certain number of enemy forces within your allotted time on station will be considered successful completion of the mission. Operation Desert Blitz commences today at 1050 hours."

Operation: Desert Blitz  
Location: Jilachi Desert  
Date: 2010/11/25  
Time: 0530 Hours

Wow… was it just me or did that seem like a very long briefing? Anyways, the four of us headed out to the hangar where Blaze chose SU-32's for us. Since we would mainly be dealing with ground enemies, the SU-37 was a good choice because it was primarily for ground targets. It had good mobility too so it wasn't shabby in air combat either.

We hopped in, waved goodbye to Cassie and Genette, and then took off towards the Jilachi Desert.

When we arrived at the Jilachi Desert, it looked exactly like you would think a desert would look like. It was beige and barren. The only thing that was sort of different is that it had a big river running through it. I forgot what the river's name was called. It was some weird Yuktobanian name. We were relatively silent on the way to the desert which I found strange because Chopper was always talking. However, once we reached the battlefield, the silent peacefulness was shattered by none other than Chopper.

"Yahoo!" he hollered.

"And we're back at it," Blaze said.

"No kidding. You'd think after me crashing and capturing a group of soldiers _and_ getting information from them that we'd get a longer break," Nagase mused.

"I've come to believe that we just don't get luck," I acknowledged.

"Seriously, I agree with you Grimm," I said.

"Man, this is ridiculous. I can't believe they chose our next mission with a damn coin again!" Chopper exclaimed.

"I know! You'd think with all the victories we've helped them with that we'd get _some_ say in the choice but _nooo_. They had to flip a damn coin," ranted Blaze.

"We are surrounded by top brass morons on base."

"This is Thunderhead. Captain Davenport, how many times do I have to tell you to cut the chatter?"

I love how Chopper is able to piss everyone off but he can pretty much get away with it. See, if I said something like that, they'd discharge me. Well, they might not discharge me because Blaze would throw a fit if any of us were taken away from her squadron but they would probably suspend me. I wondered how Chopper was able to say all this without getting his ass kicked by the top brass. I mean, he insulted them openly over the mic and I know they were listening in. Sheesh, this guy had the best luck…

"Thunderhead, this is Razgriz Three. Roger that," Chopper responded.

Oh god. Ever since Nagase had told us that the Yukes were calling us the Demons of Razgriz, Chopper has been calling himself Razgriz Three instead of Wardog Three. The guy is like my brother but he can kind of be a little full of himself sometimes.

"… What did you just say?" Thunderhead demanded.

"Inside joke Thunderhead… inside joke…" Blaze said.

"I want in on it."

"It's called an 'inside joke' for a reason. It's called that because we don't want_ certain people_ to know what we're talking about… a.k.a. everyone on base," Chopper explained mumbled something about Chopper being a smartass and a few names after that which I care not to repeat but they did rhyme with 'ducking mass bowl.'

Blaze started hitting the afterburners and we had no choice but to follow her. She hadn't given us an order saying that we could stop following her so, we followed her. The first enemy blips appeared on our radar. They were ground targets. My guess would be tanks seeing as they were so far out from any nearby base.

The Second Tank Battalion leader was the first person from the ground forces to say something over the mic. "Time for the parade. All tanks, begin your advance! Dachshund to Air Force. Requesting close air support on the way to our target."

"Roger," Blaze answered.

"Yes ma'am?" A guy from the Second Tank Battalion asked.

"… I didn't say anything…" Blaze said.

"Yes you did."

"No I didn't. All I said was roger."

"I know and now I'm asking what you want since you called my name."

"I said roger because I was alerting your battalion that I understood that y'all needed help."

"Oh…" the guy mumbled.

"It's nice to know we have such intelligent people on the ground," Chopper remarked.

"I'm amazed the Osean Army has made it this far with people like that in the battalion," I said.

"Sheesh, and I thought Blaze was blonde," Nagase added.

"Hey!" Blaze protested.

"Don't forget Chopper!" I commented.

"Hey!" Chopper defended.

I laughed. Blaze and Chopper make such a good couple. They're both so blonde. It was all in good fun our teasing of them because they may not act like it, but both of them are really smart. Blaze lettered in high school for her GPA. I didn't even know you could do that. Chopper maintained at least a B average throughout high school even though he was doing football, wrestling, and baseball. That was really hard to do too.

We were fast approaching the enemy blips on my radar. We were only a few hundred yards away from them.

The leader of the Third Tank Battlalion came on. "Let me clarify again, our mission is to capture the oil facility. We're requesting the Air Force to provide us with air support. All we need to do is move forward."

"This is Lynx One. Attention Air Force unit. Requesting close air support for our unit!" Another Third Tank Battalion member requested.

"Understood. Grimm, come with me. Chopper, Nagase, help out the second battalion."

"You better take care of my girl, you hear me?" warned Chopper.

I gulped. "I will, especially if I want to keep breathing am I correct?"

"I knew there was a reason I liked you."

"Shut up."

Again, Chopper is a great guy and he's like my brother but he scares me sometimes…

I was finally close enough to see the enemy ground targets that had appeared on my radar. Sure enough, they were tanks. Thank god they weren't dropping from planes like the mission when we were helping with the SSTO launch. That was a pain. Blaze went towards them head on. Hell, she went on with SAMs head on and those things can shoot missiles at you so I don't know why I was shocked that she was going head on with things that really couldn't shoot missiles at you. That girl had guts. She fired a missile at one tank and fired her guns at another. She had started too late with firing her guns at the tank though and so she wasn't able to destroy it. That's where I came in. I fired a missile at the undamaged tank and fired my guns at the tank that Blaze had managed to damage somewhat. It blew up.

A guy from the Second Tank Battalion announced, "This is Dachshund One. The enemy's greeting us with their own tanks! Requesting close air support! Let's up the ante!"

"So? Who's having fun?" Blaze inquired airily.

"And you say I need a dictionary…" Chopper grumbled.

"Oh come on, this isn't too bad. We've been through worse," she pointed out.

Nagase agreed, "She has a point Chopper."

"How about when I joined you guys? That was a pain because you had to make sure my rookie butt didn't get shot down when I wasn't even in the sky yet," I suggested.

"Okay, okay, I guess this isn't the worst thing we've been through. The one where we captured that fortress… eesh…" Chopper said with distaste. I remembered that mission like it was yesterday. I remembered how angry Chopper had been in it.

"Exactly. This is easy as pie," Blaze said.

"Ooh, why did you bring up pie? I'm hungry!" Chopper whined.

"Didn't you eat breakfast?" Nagase questioned.

"Yeah, I had a little something. I had bacon, pancakes, eggs, fruit, yogurt, and sausage," he listed.

"And you're hungry?" Blaze queried incredulously.

"Yeah, why?"

"I hardly call all that a little something," Nagase remarked.

"We like to eat," I defended

"Really? I haven't noticed," Blaze joked.

Hey, what else is there to do on base besides eat, sleep, weight lift, and fly? Yeah, I think I'd choose eating over all of those… well, maybe not the sleep but you get my point.

I flew over a sand dune, trying to keep low to the ground to make it hard for any enemy planes to see me if there were any enemy planes in the air.

Blaze ordered us to regroup. You can know that Chopper slammed on the afterburners and was in his position in less than a minute even though he and Nagase had been miles away from me and Blaze.

A Yuke came on the mic. "Lead enemy tanks are in firing range. Requesting permission to engage."

Meanwhile, a guy from the Third Tank Battalion acknowledged, "Man, the Air Force rocks. I wonder if I can file for a transfer…"

"Dude, unless you want to spend four more years in training school, I suggest you stay where you are," Chopper said.

"The Air Force does rock though so I can understand you wanting to transfer," Blaze mused.

"Good point Blaze," Nagase complimented.

"Why thank you."

Blaze went into a loop before heading straight towards an enemy tank that we had all missed. Why she felt the need to go into a loop is beyond me. Chopper, Nagase, and I started circling Blaze, protecting her from anyone or anything that tried to harm her.

The leader of the Second Tank Battalion ordered, "The infantry wants to rendezvous with us. Hurry!"

A soldier from the Third Tank Battalion mumbled, "Man, if only this desert was a beach…"

"Nagase, remember when we went to that beach on Marco Island?" Blaze asked, sounding mischievous.

"And there were two really hot cabana boys?" Nagase replied, her tone practically mimicking Blaze's.

"Yes! I don't know if you realized it but they looked a lot like Sodapop."

"Oh my god Blaze. Really? Sodapop? Again?"

"I can't believe my fiancée is talking about hot guys in front of me," Chopper said.

"Well that's what you get for eavesdropping on our conversation the other day," Blaze retorted.

"The water bucket wasn't enough torture?"

"Nope."

"I should've known."

"Don't worry hun. Sodapop is a fictional character. I couldn't date him anyways," she assured.

"But if you could?" he prodded.

"I would still choose you."

"Good."

On a whim, I asked, "Hey Blaze?"

"Yeah?"

"Want to hear a great blonde invention?"

"Sure!" she agreed.

"A dictionary index."

Chopper started howling. I was surprised because, well, he's not always the brightest. Nagase was cracking up too along with me. Blaze was silent.

"I don't get it…" Blaze admitted shyly. About one minutes later, " OOOOHHH! I got it!"

Blaze finally started laughing. Took her long enough. Chopper, Nagase, and I started laughing harder because of Blaze's blondeness. I don't mean to offend any blondes. Blaze and Chopper make jokes about themselves being blonde, same with Cassie. It's all in good fun, I assure you. They're really quite geniuses.

"What is it with you people?" Thunderhead demanded.

"Thunderhead, this is Razgriz Three. I can assure I have _no idea_ what you're talking about."

"Cut the chatter," grumbled Thunderhead.

"Oh, it's too much fun to annoy y'all over the mic. It's also _way_ too easy," Blaze said.

"It is not," Thunderhead defended.

"Afraid so Thunderhead," I countered.

"Prove it," he challenged. I started thinking of ways to annoy Thunderhead and I realized that it was easier said than done. I also realized that it was when we weren't trying to that it did annoy him. Of course, my concentration was cut off when Chopper and Blaze decided to take the matter into their hands.

"Let's get down to business!" Blaze sang.

"To defeat, the Huns," Chopper shouted off key.

"Did they send me daughters?" Nagase added.

I decided to join in. "When I asked for sons!"

"You're the saddest bunch I've ever met!" Blaze yelled.

"And you can bet, before we're through!" Chopper growled.

For the last line, we all sang it: "Mister I'll make a man out of you!"

"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" Thunderhead ordered.

"Tranquil as a forest!" Nagase continued.

"Stop!" Thunderhead repeated.

"But a fire within!" I piped up.

"Stop!"

"Once you find your center!" Blaze began.

"That is an order! Stop it!" Thunderhead barked.

"You are sure to win!" finished Chopper.

"You're a spineless, pale, pathetic lot!" The Second Tank Battalion joined which made me grin like an idiot. I couldn't believe we'd gotten others to join in our little crusade to annoy Thunderhead.

"No…" Thunderhead groaned.

"And you haven't got a clue!" The Third Tank Battalion hollered.

All together, we sang, "Somehow I'll make a man out of YOOOUU!"

We finally stopped singing because we were all running out of breath from laughing. Blaze announced that she was crying from laughing and it sounded like she was crying too. The second and third battalions were howling with laughter while in the meantime, Thunderhead was grumbling about something. What is it with him a grumbling? Is it just me, or does he grumble… like a lot?

"This is Dachshund. Enemy tanks destroyed! We've broken through their barricade!" A guy from the Second Tank Battalion informed.

"Captain, did I ever tell you about my brother?" I asked curiously.

"Just a little bit," Blaze answered.

"I look up to him a lot. He was part of the reason why I chose this job."

"I think he's looking up to you now," Chopper commented.

"Really Chopper?" I demanded airily.

"Grimm, you should know by now to expect the unexpected from Chopper," Nagase philosophized.

"If only the enemy was listening in on our conversations. We could confuse the hell out of them and shoot them down like flies," Chopper mused.

"Well Blaze already shoots them down like flies."

"Good point."

"What are y'all talking about? If it wasn't for y'all, I wouldn't be here right now," Blaze argued.

"Don't argue with us Blaze. You're not going to win," Chopper declared

"I know I'm not. That doesn't mean I won't try," she retorted.

"It's funny to see you try and argue with us," I acknowledged.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well it's a pretty futile attempt," explained Nagase.

"Only on this subject because y'all are so stubborn," she snapped.

"Look who's talking."

We headed towards an enemy facility in the north. I wasn't exactly sure what it was. Some more ground installations appeared on radar. We went down and each locked onto a target. It sucked that they were small because if we flew in at the wrong angle or fired at the wrong time, we would miss the target and waste a perfectly good missile. I've heard that people say we make flying look easy, that it seems like a piece of cake. It's more like driving in a three dimensional space, not a two dimensional because in the air you go up, down, left, right, swirly, loopy, and other things. It's no piece of cake.

"They're still brand-new and unturned. We can't use them in real battle!" A Yuke pointed out furiously.

"So tune them while we're fighting! Shut up and hand them over!" The Yuke's comrade fired back.

A defense area came up with tons of pillboxes and watch towers and SAMs. There was probably an AA gun mixed in there somewhere too.

"Get them before our own fighters snag all the kills!" A guy from the Second Tank Battalion encouraged.

"Ooh! A competition! This will be fun!" Blaze exclaimed.

"Dudes, you shouldn't have said anything," Chopper said and imagined him shaking his head in disappointment (probably at their stupidity, in which I would join him).

"Why?"

"Whenever there's a competition around, Blaze is most likely to win."

"Exceptions are-" Nagase started.

"Basketball and golf," I finished.

"Y'all know me so well it's almost scary…" Blaze mumbled.

"What kind of friends would we be if we didn't?" Nagase questioned.

"Good point."

A guy from the Third Tank Battalion commanded, "Corgi, don't fall behind!"

The four of us got in a line, Blaze in the lead, Chopper, Nagase, then me. Blaze fired at as much as she could before she had to pull away. Chopper, Nagase, and I did much the same. The pillboxes were really well-built because it took at least three missiles to destroy it, sometimes four. I'll give the damn Yukes some credit by saying that they're very good at building things.

"It's so hot, I don't have enough spit to swallow," one of our guys said.

"Man it's hot. Doesn't the enemy mind this weather?" Another guy wondered aloud.

I agreed with our allies on the ground. It was ridiculously hot. I've realized you get the two extremes in Yuktobania. You either get blasted snowstorms or you get blistering heat. No wonder the Yukes are so cranky. I mean, not only was it dangerously hot, but there was no scenery whatsoever. All there was to see was miles and miles of interminable sand dunes. I started to wonder what the Yukes did to keep them busy but my mind started to think of some pretty rude things so I stopped that train of thought quickly.

"Load and aim you main gun. Don't fire by mistake!" A guy from our side cautioned. I was starting to confuse all the guys' voices. At first, I'd been really good, but now that the battle was picking up, it wasn't going so well.

The defense position we'd been firing at was destroyed easily by the combined forces of us four. I don't mean to sound conceited when I say this, but we're really good.

We got back in formation as we headed due north to a different facility. Hopefully it was the oil facility we were going after.

"This is Lynx One. We're preparing to advance on a fortified defense position. It'll be difficult to take this position by ourselves. Requesting immediate close air support."

Blaze went up in a loop so that her direction was towards the third tank battalion. Chopper, Nagase, and I followed.

"We're getting numerous close air support requests from our ground forces," Nagase griped.

"I know; I feel like a waiter taking orders," Chopper remarked.

"Enemy tanks are on the offensive again! Here they come!" A Yuke yelled.

"We can't advance unless we crush them from the air!" One of our guys pointed out in annoyance.

"That's why we're here," Blaze said.

"Allied craft overhead. I don't care where they land, just drop all of your bombs right here!" The leader of third tank battalion ordered. I recognized his voice easily; it was really deep.

"Um, okay," responded Blaze, sounding rather hesitant.

"Okay, here it comes! Everyone take cover somewhere! Anywhere! Hurry!"

The four of us released our special weapons on the defense position, practically destroying it in one swift swoop. There were a few buildings that survived but we took good care of them. A few missiles, some gun fire, and they were well taken care of.

We started heading to the north again to take care of the enemies over there.

"This is Lynx One. Enemy defense position destroyed. Enemy position captured! Gather up the POWs." I made a mental note to remember that Lynx One was from the Third Tank Battalion.

"This is Black Knight. Multiple enemy tanks ahead. Requesting immediate close air support Repeat…" I deducted that Black Knight was from the Second Tank Battalion but that was the extent of my guessing. Trying to figure out which soldier belong to what battalion was giving me a headache.

The first enemy planes I had seen all day appeared on my radar. Blaze ordered me and Nagase to take care of them while she and Chopper went on ahead to help out the second tank battalion.

"Roger, Black Knight. Wardog, attack and destroy the enemy tank force at your discretion," Thunderhead announced.

Why did Thunderhead bother telling us what to do? Hadn't he realized Blaze and Chopper were already on their way there? Sheesh…

Nagase and I shot down the planes pretty quickly. One got a missile lock on me but Nagase shot it down before it could shoot at me. I will admit that I had a little panic attack at the thought of being shot down. It was a nightmare to me.

"We're receiving direct fire from the enemy tanks. Our only tank destroyer has been knocked out," Black Knight informed angrily.

Once the two planes had been shot down, Nagase and I raced to catch up with Blaze and Chopper. For once, Blaze actually slowed down so that Nagase and I could catch up. Usually you could barely find her because she was going so wicked fast. Blaze was always all over the place which is probably one of the main reasons the enemy has such a hell of a time trying to shoot her down… that, and the fact that Chopper seemed to be the only one who could keep up with Blaze's kamikaze flight paths and he made sure he got in the way of her and an enemy plane chasing after her.

"I guess the miracle over the Razgriz Straits was no fluke," A guy acknowledged.

"The 'Four Wings of Sand Island' are above us?" Another guy asked, sounding awe-struck.

"The 'Four Wings of Sand Island?' We have a nickname?" Blaze queried, very confused.

"Sounds like it. None of us better get shot down because you can't have the 'Four Wings of Sand Island' without four planes," Chopper said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Thanks for the math lesson Chopper," I replied.

"Anytime!"

Chopper and his antics. I swear, when we all retire, assuming we all survive this blasted war, I'm going to convince Chopper to become a comedian. He's a natural at it. Hell, I think if it was the six of us, meaning me, Cassie, Blaze, Chopper, Nagase, and Genette, we'd all be rich because our conversations are so stupid and random that you can't help but laugh. Yep, I know what I'm going to when I retire.

"All right, the enemy's holed up in the anti-tank bunker in front of us!" A Yuke notified. "Stop them at our defense perimeter and force them back!"

"Enemy transport planes are dropping something," An Osean soldier observed.

"You think they're dropping is some beer as a welcoming gift?" Another Osean joked.

"Maybe it's some NOS energy drinks!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Have you ever seen the _Fast and Furious_ bloopers?" Blaze inquired.

"Yes! And when Paul Walker was drinking some NOS?" Chopper laughed.

"That was hilarious!" Blaze agreed.

"Yeah, I wish! Those are airborne tanks!" The first Osean shouted.

"Look, tanks are coming out of that transport!" Chopper said.

"I hate those flipping things!" Blaze grouched.

"Drop complete. All aircraft hook turn; climb and depart the target area," A Yuke ordered.

"Hurry up and land! We're totally defenseless here!" Another enemy yelled.

Why God? Why?! Why the hell did you have to drop airborne tanks?! I hate those things! They're annoying and stupid and any other synonym to those two words!

Okay, I'm good now. Sorry about that little tirade. It's just I hate those things! We _still_ weren't at the place where the second tank battalion was. We weren't that far though.

We fired our guns at some tanks that appeared in front of us and continued on. They were no match against air support. Against the ground forces, they had a chance, but airplanes? Forget it.

More chatter from the Yukes interrupted my thoughts. "Sit down and shut up! We either make it down or we won't," one said. Another Yuke snapped, "Quit chattering. You'll bite your tongue when you land!"

That sounded pretty painful.

I saw an enemy plane coming head on. It was a transport plane. Chopper went ahead and started firing at it. However, it had already dropped some tanks. Blaze, Nagase, and I took on one tank each since three tanks had dropped from the plane. It only took two missiles to destroy them so it was pretty easy to get them out of our hair.

"We'll be all right," An Osean declared. "We've got the Sand Island Squadron above us."

Did those guys down there really have that much faith in us? I felt kind of honored…

"Sand Island Squadron? You're the heroes of the Razgriz Straits?" Another Osean asked hopefully.

"Um, I guess. I don't know about the 'heroes' part but yeah," Blaze responded bashfully.

"The Sand Island Squadron is here. This operation is going to succeed," the first guy claimed firmly.

No pressure. We only had everyone counting on us to make sure that this mission went well. Fan-freaking-tastic…

Another enemy transport plane came into view. Blaze surged on ahead and took care of it while we just followed behind her.

"We have a sitrep from advancing allied forces. Listen up, Wardog," Thundered directed.

"This is Dachshund Two. Everything going according to plan." Okay, that guy was from the Second Tank Battalion. I could remember that.

"This is Lynx One. We're advancing smoothly."

"You got that? Continue support. Over," Thunderhead said. Chopper mumbled something afterwards, something to the degree of Thunderhead being an idiot.

Nagase and I fired at some helicopters flying beneath us. I think they were trying to sneak past us. Well, if they were, they failed at it because Nagase and I went down, got behind them, and shot them down.

Blaze went after another helicopter that flew above us. I found it odd that these helicopters flew right past us when they knew that we were going to shoot them down. It seemed like a suicide mission for them to me.

"This is Dachshund. Airborne tank force destroyed. Some welcome gift that was."

"Is anyone else tired or is it just me?" Blaze questioned.

"Well maybe it's because you went to bed at two last night?" Chopper suggested.

"Oh please, that has nothing to do with it," she refuted.

"Right. Sure it doesn't," I said.

"Blaze, what were you doing at two in the morning?" Nagase queried drolly. I was pretty sure Nagase probably already knew the answer.

"Reading."

"Of all things you could do at two in the morning, you chose to read?" Chopper chuckled.

"It was Percy Jackson and the Olympians," defended Blaze.

"Seriously Blaze? Still with the Percy Jackson books?" Nagase seemed to have had experience with Blaze reading that specific series by the tone of her voice.

"I can't help it that it's a fantastic book series!"

"No, but you can help it at going to bed on time," Chopper said.

"No I can't. Haven't I told you before? I'm like a vampire. I just don't sparkle in the sunlight because those vampires aren't really vampires. They're really fairies in disguise."

"It's a good thing Cassie isn't here. She would have your head for saying that," Nagase stated.

"I've said it plenty of times in front of her and I still have my head."

"I didn't mean literally have your head Blaze."

"I know. I'm just really not making any sense. Ha, you should've seen my after my wisdom teeth surgery."

Oh god. This was going to be hilarious. You thought Blaze was funny not doped up on pain killers? Wait until you hear this story. The only reason I know it is because Genette told me for some reason. I forget how we had gotten onto the subject.

Chopper cracked up. "I remember that!"

"What happened?" Nagase demanded.

"Well, I told the dentist's assistant when she came in that she looked like the blonde smurf. Then I told the dentist himself that he looked like Chewbacca even though he had no facial hair whatsoever…"

"Don't forget when you spilled the beans on who you liked!" Chopper added.

"I have forgotten because I don't remember jack from when I was high off of those pain killers or whatever they're called. The only reason I remember is because I saw the video of me afterwards.

"Who did you like?" Nagase asked.

"Oh, you know, only my brother's best friend besides Chopper," Blaze answered nonchalantly.

"Was Genette there when that happened?"

"Naturally."

Poor Blaze. That girl didn't get a break it seemed.

I realized that we had strayed away from our original destination which was to help out the second tank battalion. That didn't work so well but now I was 99.99% positive that that's where we were headed now.

"Bad news. Apparently, we have the Razgriz flying above us," A Yuke muttered.

"Hey, Kid, you think we're really going to make it at this pace?" Chopper mused.

"Yes sir I do," she replied confidently.

"Well, I sure hope so."

Nagase went after an enemy helicopter while the rest of us headed towards the enemy facility. I wanted this mission over because it was going to be a long one. It was _already_ long. How much longer was it going to go?

"Dammit, we're completely outgunned by these enemies!" A Yuke complained irately. "The enemy is frighteningly accurate. Be careful!" There was another pause before, " Dammit, we just lost another vehicle to those guys!"

Those guys sounded pissed. And why were they calling us the Razgriz? I didn't really want that reputation because that reputation pretty much meant that you _never _fail. That's a really big responsibility. I couldn't imagine the weight on Blaze's shoulders being the captain of us and all. Yikes. I'm so glad I'm not captain!

"I'm not getting so nervous anymore before a battle," An Osean confessed proudly.

"I feel like I'm watching a war game. These Sand Island guys are impressive," the guy's comrade complimented.

"Thank you." There was no shyness or confusion in Blaze's voice this time; it was filled with nothing but gratitude.

"If we give our all like we always do, then we'll win this for sure," Another Osean encouraged.

"Let's start with the enemies over there," Chopper proposed.

"Roger. Nagase, Grimm, Chopper, take care of those enemy helicopters. I'm going to go to that enemy facility."

"Okay," I answered.

"Roger," Nagase said.

Chopper, naturally, protested. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're not going there by yourself."

"I'm captain aren't I? I can do what I want," Blaze wrangled.

"Fine, but I'm coming with you."

"All right, only because I know you won't listen to me if I say no."

"Great balls of fire!" Chopper cheered.

"We're on the highway to the danger zone!" Blaze burst out.

Nagase laughed along with me at Blaze and Chopper's obsession with _Top Gun_. It was unhealthy how addicted to it they were. They could practically quote the whole movie. Yeah, it was that bad.

Nagase and I started flying after the helicopters. There were four that I could see so we split it up. These helicopters were easy targets because they moved slowly and they took little to no effort to shoot them down. Blaze and Chopper were in the distance heading towards the enemy facility. I went into a loop so I could get far enough behind the helicopter and be able to shoot it down.

"Okay, we got a hole to break through. Let's go!" An Osean urged with a Yuke hollering just a few minutes later, "Abandon your vehicles! Run as far away as possible!"

"Helicopters destroyed. On our way to meet you two at the facility," I notified.

"Severe damage taken from the Razgriz! Please advise!" A Yuke begged.

"The demons won't have any mercy. They're gonna burn this facility to the ground!" Another one declared heatedly.

"Geez Blaze, geez Chopper. What hell are you raising over there?" I teased.

"A lot of it by the sound of it!" Nagase said.

"It's fun to raise hell," Blaze replied.

"Except in the show _Supernatural_," Chopper corrected.

"True…"

"Enemy resistance thinning out. We're advancing more smoothly now," An Osean informed happily.

"Enemy planes rolling in on our position! Evade!" A Yuke pilot insisted anxiously.

"Shiba, shoot them from over there!" Black Knight ordered.

It sounded like things were getting really tense down there. The enemy sounded frantic. We were crushing them with the combined forces of the air support and the ground troops. I could only imagine what havoc Blaze and Chopper were wreaking on the enemy base they were attacking. From the sounds of the Yukes over the mic, it sounded like a lot.

I was getting sick of seeing the same sand dunes over and over. It was just one big beach without the water and girls in bikinis.

"Whose tank is that? It got hit and burst into flames," A Yuke commented sadly.

"Okay Grimm, Nagase. Come help me and Chopper out," Blaze told us.

Nagase and I changed our flight course and headed to where Blaze and Chopper were. It didn't take long for me to get there. We left the remaining helicopters to other allied planes.

When we reached the area Blaze and Chopper were, I could see that there was still a fair amount left to destroy. I went to work immediately.

"Does anyone know who that pilot is in _Hot Shots_ or whatever that movie is called?" Blaze inquired, firing at some enemy targets.

"Isn't that the spoof of _Top Gun_?" Chopper pondered.

"Yes."

"Isn't it Chopper's long-lost brother?" I joked, trying to sound as serious as possible.

Guess my acting worked too well because Chopper demanded, "How do you know I have a long-lost brother?"

"You actually have one? Wow, I was just guessing."

"Grimm, Chopper's being sarcastic," Nagase said.

"… Ooooh!"

"So who's this long-lost brother of mine?" Chopper asked, switching the subject back to the original topic.

"Charlie Sheen," I said.

"Y'all do have similarities," Blaze admitted.

"Like what?" he prodded.

"You're both hilarious," Nagase offered.

"Both of you have been pilots," I added.

"The only differences are that you're not completely off your rocker and you're way handsomer," Blaze finished.

"Thank you although some people would beg to differ on the previous one," Chopper chuckled.

"What? That you're not completely off your rocker?" Blaze bantered.

"Who would disagree with that?" I questioned.

"Me," Thunderhead answered without missing a beat.

"Thanks for proving my point Thunderhead," Chopper said cheerfully.

"Anytime."

Wow. So Thunderhead thought that Chopper was completely off his rocker? Well I can't really blame him because there are times that I question Chopper's sanity. It's mainly during missions… screw it, I worry about his sanity all the time.

I started firing at a hangar. I wondered whether there were planes in them or if all the planes had been sent up to fight. Either way, I wasn't going to give the Yukes a place to store their planes.

"This is Bolzoi. We can't hold this area with our current force alone!" A Yuke said desperately.

"Tanks won't be enough here. They'll need air support," Chopper said.

"Why do you think they called us?" Blaze replied.

"Get the Captain! The enemy's launched a major attack!" A Yuke barked.

Chopper sarcastically remarked, "Wow you _just_ noticed that? Where have you been?"

"I seriously wonder how the Yukes were actually able to launch offensives with their obliviousness," I admitted.

"Honestly, I mean come on guys. You don't sound older than thirty and you're already having memory problems? That's a bad sign man."

"No kidding," Blaze agreed.

"Stop them at our defense perimeter and force them back! HQ, it's getting impossible to hold the line!" A Yuke informed.

We finished off all the targets in our area so we started dealing with some more (yes more) enemy planes. Blaze went up, I went down, Chopper went left, and Nagase went right, all of us going after different planes. I realize that it seems we have no certain objective to this mission so if you're confused, our objective is to destroy a certain amount of enemies in order for this mission to succeed. Got it? I know; it's kind of confusing. That's why I'm glad Blaze knows what she's doing… I think…

"Man, this is an elaborate defensive line. These guys must've had a lot of time on their hands," Chopper guessed.

"There's a fierce firefight going on in front of the enemy's position!" Lynx One announced. I thought to myself that we already knew that.

"Hey, howitzer brigade up there! You're too far out front. Go back two miles and then start firing," Black Knight ordered.

"This is the howitzer brigade, callsign Dragonfly. We got these coordinates from HQ."

Okay, just because HQ gives the orders, that doesn't mean they're always right, FYI. So, the lesson here? Pull a Bartlett and do your own thing, just like Blaze was doing.

"Even if we had support tanks for you, they'd be useless if you stay there. Fall back!"

"We've got orders from HQ," the howitzer leader persisted.

"Geez, you idiots! Screw the division HQ! Look, enemy tanks! Retreat! Retreat!"

Why wouldn't these people listen? Did they want to get killed? Sheesh…

I was so intent on getting the enemy plane I was after that I hadn't realized an enemy had gotten behind me until my missile alarm started going off like mad. I shot up as I saw the missile narrowly missed my plane. That had been too close. Blaze shot the plane down the moment it fired the missile at me.

"Be careful Grimm. Cassie will have my head if I let anything happen to you," Blaze said; I could tell she knew I was completely unnerved by that attack and her light teasing was meant to keep me grounded. It worked for the most part.

"Sorry Captain," I apologized sincerely.

"Air squadron, our howitzers are caught right up in front of the enemy tanks. They sure could use your help… C'mon guys," Black Knight grunted. I decided against telling the guy we'd already taken care of the enemies he was telling us about. Blaze, Nagase, and Chopper didn't say anything either.

"How much longer?" Chopper asked.

Blaze answered, "Until Thunderhead tells us unfortunately."

"Wonderful…" Chopper muttered.

"Good work, air squadron! You're the only ones I can rely on for support out here. To hell with that stupid Division HQ…" Black Knight growled.

Someone had issues with Division HQ. Now, I'm no friend of Division HQ ever since they accused me and the gang of attacking civilians but I would never say "to hell with Division HQ" over the mic. Blaze might, Chopper probably would. In fact, I'm amazed he hasn't said it already.

We had finished off the planes in the section we had been in so we moved on to some tanks that had appeared out of nowhere. Nagase got there first, then me, then Chopper, then Blaze. Nagase and I made quick work of the tanks, leaving nothing behind for Blaze and Chopper.

I zoomed out on my radar to find some more enemy targets. It looked like there was an enemy zone to the south of us. I was about to announce it to Blaze but she was already headed in that direction. That girl is psychic.

"Hey, you think the guys down below are looking up at me?" Chopper inquired drolly.

"Only because they're making sure you're not an enemy plane," I said.

"Way to shoot me down Grimm."

"They might be because they keep calling us the 'Four Wings of Sand Island…' Hey, wasn't that the name of Genette's article?" Blaze queried suddenly.

"Yeah! That's where they must've gotten the nickname from!" Nagase exclaimed.

"Huh. I just realized that."

"I didn't realize it until you said anything," Chopper remarked.

"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!" Blaze ranted out of the blue.

"Who do I need to kill?" Chopper demanded immediately.

"No one! This putz is mine!"

Blaze wasn't pissed off if that's what you were thinking. Frustrated, yes. Pissed off, no. You do not want to see her pissed off. Or scared. I can't forget that because she's a known kicker. Ask Nagase.

I watched as Blaze trailed the enemy plane. First she went into a loop, then she shot towards the ground, then she made a sharp turn to the left, and then lastly she practically stalled her plane so that she could get far enough behind the plane. Blaze locked onto the plane and fired two missiles. They both hit the plane, making it fall in a massive fiery ball towards the ground.

"I'm telling you, Kid could single-handedly turn the tide of this war. It's almost scary," Chopper said.

"I couldn't single handedly," Blaze denied.

"Yes you could because you're doing it right now," Nagase said.

"I am not!"

"Blaze, honestly, we're nothing compared to you. Have you _seen_ the way you fly?" I demanded.

"No, I haven't because, well, I'm kind of flying my plane."

"Blaze, the enemy is scared of you. Remember Nagase told us when she was telling us the info she got out of that group of shoulders she had captured?" Chopper reminded.

"They were probably trying to give us a big head so that we'd screw up."

"Nooo, they said that because if they didn't give Nagase info, she was going to shoot them."

"I was not!" Nagase sounded horrified.

"Were too!"

"You wanted to," I said.

"Fine… maybe just a little… but only where they were immobilized! I didn't want to kill anyone."

"Who said anything about killing?" Chopper queried.

"You did."

"I said you wanted to shoot them, not kill them. There's a fine line between the two."

"You two are acting like children," interjected Blaze.

"It's our specialty," Chopper replied cheekily. He wasn't kidding about that either. Acting like children in adult situations is our specialty. That's because it's very entertaining. We still get stuff done don't we?

We flew along the river to some enemy radar blips that were practically in the middle of nowhere. It looked like there were only two enemies. The closer we got, the more I started to realize this mission was extremely long. I mean, I thought that Operation Footprint was long but this, _this_ was long!

I realized that as we got closer to the tanks that the oil facility behind it. This must've been the main oil facility or that other place we attacked might've been the airport…

"This is Thunderhead. Operation proceeding smoothly. Victory is just a matter of time now. Continue sweeping up the remaining enemy forces."

"Where's our air support? Are we supposed to fight by ourselves?" A Yuke groaned.

"Yes, because it makes our job a hell of a lot easier!" Chopper chirped. "How was that, huh? Did you see that?"

"See what?" I asked.

"My awesome maneuver at shooting down an enemy plane!"

"What did you do?"

"I can't even explain how I did it. I just… did!"

"Oh yeah, that clears it up real well," I remarked sarcastically.

"My plane and I are gonna drop from exhaustion in this heat!" An Osean whined.

"It's getting harder to tell them apart! Which ones are the enemy?!" I said.

Acting as if I were stupid, Chopper answered, "How about the ones shooting at you?"

My brain was getting completely fuzzy. I couldn't tell where I was anymore because everything looked the same. It was scary. Perhaps it was because of dehydration or something but I needed to snap out of it quickly because it could get me killed.

"My little brother's flying up there," a guy from the Air Assault Division said proudly.

My brother! He knew I was flying up here! I don't know why, but it felt strange knowing that I was in the same vicinity as my brother but that I couldn't see him. I hadn't seen my brother in over a year. I missed him.

"Is that right, Grimm? He's in the Sand Island Squadron?" My brother's comrade asked.

"Yep. I'm real proud of him… Take care of yourself, Hans."

"I will big bro," I promised.

"I'm guessing that's your brother?" Blaze inquired, although it was more like a statement.

"Yeah. He's helping coordinate the air assault I think. Something like that."

"I've intercepted an enemy transmission. What are 'the Demons of Razgriz?'" Black Knight sounded completely perplexed. The four of us, however, knew exactly what it meant.

"Uh, hi," Blaze said sheepishly.

"Um, I think that might be referring to us," Nagase informed.

"Because we're freaking awesome!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Big ego much?" Blaze laughed.

"It's because we have such an amazing captain!" Chopper said quickly.

"You know exactly what to say at the right time." I had to agree with Blaze. He was very good at doing that sort of thing.

Enemy helicopters started coming head on. Blaze and Chopper took care of them. I hadn't seen them until they were almost on top of me because the glare from the sun was so intense. It was crazy.

Lynx One came on the mic. "It's our turn to provide support to the guys up there."

"Abandon your vehicles! Run as far away as possible!" A Yuke shouted.

"I'll hit the main force and the reinforcements at the same time!" I offered.

"Sounds good. Let's get this over with because I think the heat is getting to me," Blaze confessed.

"Why?"

"I see a Dairy Queen below us."

So I wasn't the only one having trouble with how long the mission was. That was good to know. We all went after the helicopters that swarmed around us. I counted three. Blaze was letting us handle the helicopters probably so she reasoning out that there was no Dairy Queen anywhere nearby.

"Yahoo!" Chopper randomly cheered.

"Open fire before they do!" A Yuke ordered.

"The Razgriz! Those planes I see up there now?!" Another Yuktobanian demanded.

"You idiot! What good is talking about that going to do?!" his comrade snapped.

"Say, Kid, do you recognize the voices from below?"

"Chopper, I'm hallucinating about Dairy Queen. I wouldn't trust me right now if I were you," Blaze said.

"Remember that landing operation at the beginning of the month? I hear the units that survived are here on this mission."

"Oh yeah! I remember that!"

We were heading towards a massive facility that had appeared on our radar. I wasn't sure what it was but whatever had amassed there was huge.

"The allied forces are struggling. They're waiting for us!" I said. Chopper made a witty remark back at me about me being 'Captain Obvious.'

"We'll be arriving at the oil facility soon," Lynx One notified.

"… Then what was it that we attacked earlier?" I questioned, stupefied.

"I'm not sure…" Blaze admitted.

"The enemy isn't gonna give this place up without a fight, so brace yourselves!" Black Knight admonished.

"Looks like the Captain's retirement will have to wait a while longer," a soldier said. I wasn't sure where he was from but apparently Blaze did. She knew everything it seemed like.

"Wasn't he supposed to retire a few months ago?" she responded.

"He couldn't because they apparently needed him to lead us some more. I think now they're waiting for this war to be over."

"Tell him we're sorry then because that's just not right," Nagase said.

"Oh he's pissed but he's okay right now because he believes since you four are here, that we're going to win."

"Tell him we're honored he feels that way," Blaze replied.

"Will do."

The oil facility was huge. There were smokestacks and huge oil containers. This was thousands of years worth my salary. I wondered how many other people realized how much money was in this place.

"Capture the facility before it's damaged," a guy from the third tank battalion commanded before mentioning, "The enemy soldiers we captured all kept talking about how they were attacked by the Razgriz Demons…"

And here I thought we were heroes. Well, we're heroes to the Osean Army but I guess we're considered 'Demons' to the enemy for some reason.

"Apparently, that 'Razgriz' refers to the "Four Wings of Sand Island," one of the guy's comrades explained.

"This is Dalmatian. Advancing towards enemy right flank. Dammit, Number Two's been shot. Where are they? Where'd the shot come fro…" The mic cut off, leaving me with a dreaded feeling that something had just gone horribly wrong.

"… Dalmatian? Dalmatian, respond. Dalmatian!" Black Knight shouted.

"If you're looking for the Armored Vehicle Unit, they were hit by artillery from the enemy pillbox," another guy from the second tank battalion notified solemnly. He proceeded to say, "Thunderhead, this is Saint Bernard. Take care of that threat on the right flank for us. That's the doorway to the enemy's rear."

"Roger. Wardog, do you have visual on that enemy position?"

"Yes, sir," Blaze said.

"Roger. I'll leave the decision to you. Support them if you can."

"When can this mission be over? Is it just me or does it feel extremely long?" Blaze whined.

"No, it's not just you. It does seem really long," I assured her.

We destroyed the remaining ground targets and went to fight in some air-to-air combat. I was getting really sick of flying. I mean like really sick. I missed having my feet planted firmly on the ground right now. I wanted to back on base where we were surrounded by water and palm trees and sand… although I might be sick if I see anymore sand because the only thing I could see for miles was sand. I had seen enough sand for two lifetimes.

"Forward! The enemy airfield's right in front of us!" Black Knight encouraged. "Do not fail! We will keep moving until the capture is complete!"

"These demons are just overwhelming us!" A Yuke pointed out, sounding irked. I couldn't really blame him. If I was in his position, I'd be ticked off four planes were doing a crap-load of damage.

"It's because we want to get back on solid ground really quickly," Nagase said.

"Or else we wouldn't be quite so quick on all of this," added Blaze.

"What's taking so long? Aren't we almost done yet?" Chopper queried lethargically.

"Where are the demons gonna hit next?" A Yuke wondered worriedly.

"This is Lynx One. Oil facility successfully captured."

"Finally…" Blaze mumbled.

"They've got 500,000 barrels stockpiled there. That's like a thousand years' worth of your salary," a guy from the third tank battalion said.

"I thought the same exact thing!" I exclaimed.

"Really?" Chopper questioned, genuinely interested.

"My dad was the CEO of an oil company so I know how much was stored here by some simple calculations."

"Simple for you doesn't necessarily mean it's simple for me."

"That's why I didn't say the equation."

"Bring the vehicles out of the transport plane!" A Yuke screeched. "The airbase is right behind us. We don't have any more room to retreat!"

We reached the airfield pretty quickly and immediately went to work firing at stuff. There wasn't too much that we had to do. Thunderhead had alerted us that we were almost through so we started flying even faster and harder than before.

"Communication lines cut off. We can't contact command HQ," A Yuke said.

"That's an enormous ground force down there. We're supposed to destroy them?" An Osean soldier asked incredulously.

"These bunkers are solid. My shots are barely making a scratch," Chopper grouched.

"Or maybe your shots just suck," I suggested.

"My shots never suck."

"That's made out of six-feet-thick concrete. It won't breach easily," A Yuke said. Well no wonder we were having issues destroying the bunkers.

"Just secure the runway and this place is ours!" Black Knight urged.

"And hurry so we can go home," Chopper added.

We flew around in God knows how many circles firing at random enemy targets. I was fed up with this war already but apparently, that wasn't a good reason to drop out of the military. You had to have something really wrong with you like a fainting habit or you're going senile. That kind of thing gets you out of the military easily so if Chopper asked to drop out, he would get out without any questions asked because most people that have flown with him thinks he's lost his mind. News flash, he lost his mind a long time ago… but in a good way.

"This is Thunderhead. Enemy reinforcements have been spotted upstream of the river. There's a surface-to-surface missile platoon and…" Thunderhead paused before, "you've got to be kidding me, they've got a battleship. Wipe them all out and stop their fire to our ground forces."

"Yes sir. Come on Wardog. Let's blow this thing and get on home!" Blaze said. She sounded exhausted and I couldn't blame her. She has to make all the decisions, make sure we stay alive, follow stupid orders from our superior officers, and she has to lead us. That doesn't sound like a lot of pressure but it is.

We changed course so that we were heading southwest towards the battleship. Honestly, who brings a battleship in the middle of a desert? Really?

"A battleship? Are you kidding me?" An Osean demanded, not amused.

"Boy, we're lucky, aren't we? Always running into monsters like this," joked Chopper.

"I think curse is more the way to describe it than luck," Blaze said.

"First the Scinfaxi, then the Hrimfaxi, and now this?" I remarked.

"We're cursed. Let's just hope the curse doesn't get us killed," Nagase muttered.

"Yeah. I flip out when one of you almost gets shot down. Can you imagine me if one of you actually did get shot down?" Blaze asked.

"You were a wreck when Nagase had to bail out," Chopper pointed out.

"Exactly. Please, I really don't want to lose my best friends."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Good."

"Hey, Kid, you mind if I give up already?!"

"Yeah, just a bit."

"Damn, alright. I'll keep fighting and flying," Chopper grumbled.

The battleship came into view. It was massive. The battleship itself pretty much took up half the river and then it had escort boats too along with SAMs on the coastline. Could the enemy be more annoying? Blaze spiraled down towards the battleship and fired as many missiles as she could.

"I see them! I'm going in!" Nagase announced before making her plane head towards the ground.

"I'm going after the SAMs and AA guns," I said, aiming my plane for the closest one.

"Goose is going in!" Chopper hollered good-naturedly.

"Don't call yourself Goose! Goose dies in the end!" Blaze snapped lightly.

"All right, I'll be Iceman," he decided.

"I'll be Maverick!" Blaze chirped.

"Dammit! The Razgriz are rolling in on our position!" A Yuke observed.

"Looks like we've finally destroyed the enemy," the enemy battleship said. Was the guy on crack? Did he not realize that he was the last thing we had to destroy?

"Guess again suckers," Blaze growled.

"Don't let the Razgriz approach! Swat them down!" A Yuktobanian commanded.

I laughed because right after the enemy said that, Blaze and Chopper swooped down and fired at the battleship. Classic move right there. It was even funnier when the enemy fired at the two of them but absolutely nothing hit them.

I kept firing at ground weapons along with Nagase. Have I ever told you how annoying SAMs are? No? Well, I'll say it now. They're down right, damn annoying! They're small and hard to hit.

"I feel bad for you guys, really. The way the Kid's flying now, you don't stand a chance against her."

"Stop saying that!" Blaze said.  
"Why?" Chopper questioned.

"I'm not as good as you say I am!"

Chopper snorted. So did I. So did Nagase.

"We're going to film us flying one day and we're going to prove how good you are. Capisce?" Nagase offered.

"No, I don't capisce," Blaze retorted.

"Good."

"What?!"

"I bet you can see that smoke from miles around," I said, looking out over the vast desert and seeing billowing smoke rising up from the places we'd attacked. It was a rather eerie sight come to think of it.

"This isn't a mirage, right?" An Osean asked hopefully.

"Unfortunately, no. If it was, I would've had that Dairy Queen by now and this battle would long be over!" Blaze told him.

"Enemy battleship firing main cannon!" Nagase warned.

"At whom?" I inquired.

"At all of us."

"Naturally," I remarked.

Blaze fired missiles relentlessly at the battleship and it paid off. The ship blew up in several places.

**MISSION ACCOMPLISHED**

"YES!" Blaze practically screamed from excitement. Chopper and I were hollering maniacally while Nagase was laughing from shock. We had done it. Now, since we had won this, we only had a few more missions before this war was over. That day was, by far, looking like the best day ever.

Thunderhead came over the mic. "Enemy long-range supporting fire suppressed. Threat to allied ground forces has been eliminated. Mission complete. Return to base."

"Aye aye captain!" Chopper replied joyously.

We flew towards the enemy air base that we had captured so that we could land and refuel before heading back to Sand Island. I couldn't believe we had survived that mission. We took turns landing. Blaze went first since she was captain; Chopper went next, then Nagase, and lastly me. My landing was kind of bumpy because I was so excited to be on solid ground again.

Blaze, Chopper, Nagase, and I hopped out of our planes so that we could stretch our legs before flying back to Sand Island. All of us were kind of wobbly after being in the air for so long. Unfortunately, the refueling was pretty quick so we only had about ten to fifteen minutes on the ground. We headed back to Sand Island, landed, and went to the debriefing.

The briefer cleared his throat and said, "Operation Desert Blitz was a success. Yuktobania's airfield and oil facility were completely destroyed, thanks to the teamwork between the air and ground forces. The Osean army is advancing quickly on all fronts. The ground forces, fresh off securing the Jilachi area of operation have set off for Cruik Fortress in their quest to liberate Cinigrad. Our ground forces have scored a major victory."

When the debriefing was over, we were allowed to see Genette and Cassie. Cassie gave me a big hug and a kiss and I thought that I could get used to that coming back after all my missions. Genette swung Nagase around as Chopper and Blaze stood right next to each other, with Chopper's arm around Blaze with Blaze leaning into Chopper. We headed to our rooms where we decided to catch up on some much needed Z's until dinner was ready.

* * *

**Oh my goodness! That was such a long chapter! I'm sorry! I'll make this little author's note short so please review and spread the word about this story!**


	19. Journey Home

**Hey y'all! Okay, it's finally here :( my least favorite chapter of this whole freaking story. Y'all know why most likely. There is a little bit of cussing so if you don't like cussing, I'm sorry but this chapter kind of needed it.**

**Okay, here's the chapter.**

**Quote of the Chapter:  
**"**Some people are like slinkys… they're really good for nothing… but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs."  
****~Adarian Malachai from the Dark Hunters Series**

* * *

Chapter 17: Journey Home

**November 26, 2010…**

**Blaze**

Headaches suck. Period. I can't describe the pain my pounding headache was causing me. I had my eyes closed and I gently massaged my temple. Why wasn't it going away? I didn't even know what caused it. The damn thing just slammed into me like a stampeding bull. I needed Tylenol or Advil or Aleve or _something_ that would get rid of this headache. I stood up. Unfortunately, I stood up too quickly because when I was upright, my world looked like I was in a washing machine. Steadying myself, I walked out of my room towards the infirmary where I had the oh-so pleasant pleasure of running into Bailey Cohen… quite literally might I add.

"Watch it," Bailey warned.

"Je ne parle pas stupides," I replied with a smirk.

"Watch it blondie. Now get out of my way," Bailey muttered.

"I was going to say the same to you because people that are in my way usually don't last long," I pointed out.

"Shove off." Bailey pushed past me as I started walking down the hall laughing.

When I reached the infirmary, Genette was there.

"You okay Genette?" I asked curiously.

"Yeah. I came here to get some Tums. That lunch did not agree with my digestive system," Genette answered while rubbing his stomach.

"I see," I said warily.

"Are you okay?"

"Headache… which just got worse thanks to Bailey Cohen," I grumbled.

"What happened?"

"Oh, you know, just being her usual, annoying self." I sat down next to Genette.

"It's not like the headaches from a few weeks ago… is it?" Genette inquired seriously. I knew what he was thinking. I'm not sure if you remember a few weeks ago when I had those nightmares about Chopper crashing, but those nightmares caused me massive headaches. Well, unfortunately for me, they were back, and at full force. Of course, then I realized that's why I had a headache because I had been thinking about the dreams… stupid me…

"Nah," I lied easily. Living with Genette made me really good at lying because Genette had some weird sixth sense about being able to sense when people were lying. I wasn't that good at it still after living with him practically my whole life but there were times that I could slip past his annoying telepathic senses. Today was not one of those days.

"If it isn't that bad, then why are you getting some pain relievers?" Genette countered.

"Because it's been lasting a while and I'm sick of it," I replied. It was the truth… just not all of it.

"Are you ever going to tell me what that dream was about?"

"Don't get your hopes up, Ginny," I replied with a smirk.

"Don't call me Ginny!" Genette snapped.

"Ooh, someone didn't eat his wheaties." I just grinned while my brother rolled his eyes at me.

"Hello Blaze. What can I do for you?" Dr. Gibson inquired cheerfully.

"I was wondering if I could take some Ibuprofen or Aleve because I have a big butt headache right now," I told him with a tired sigh.

"Hang on." Dr. Gibson headed over to the medicine cabinet. He searched through what had to be hundreds of pill bottles before he pulled out some Aleve. He handed me two pills, which I swallowed quickly, no water or anything.

"I don't know how you do that," Genette said, looking at me like I was nuts.

"Just like that," I laughed. "I'll see you later."

I headed out of the infirmary, the Aleve already starting to take effect much to my pleasure.

"Blaze!" Chopper shouted. I turned around to see Chopper bounding towards me.

"Hey Chopper." Chopper stopped in front of me.

"Guess what?!" Chopper put both his hands on my shoulders.

"What?"

"Melissa's pregnant!"

"What?!" I shouted. "When did this happen?!"

"She just found out an hour ago," Chopper replied.

"Oh my god! I have to go call her!" I bolted towards my room with Chopper on my heels. I practically busted my door open because I couldn't get to my phone quick enough. I dialed the number with shaking hands. Melissa picked up on the first ring.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Congratulations Melissa! Chopper just told me!" I yelled gleefully into the phone.

"Thank you so much!"

"How far along are you?"

"Around two months. I knew something was wrong when I wasn't eating much but I was still gaining wait so I went to see the doctor and voila! I'm pregnant!" Melissa laughed.

"That's great! I'm so happy for you!" I gushed.

"I can't believe it! I'm in shock! The doctor just came in and told me I better get another nursery ready."

"Haha, wow, way to break the news," I chuckled.

"Seriously. Listen, thank you so much for calling! I have to go though because, uh, I still need to tell Jeff…"

"You haven't told him yet?" I asked incredulously.

"No…" She sounded sheepish

"I'll let you go so you can tell Jeff. Bye!"

"Bye! Tell Chopper I say hi and that I love and miss him!"

"Will do." I hung up and collapsed onto my couch.

"I take it she was happy to hear from you?" Chopper sat down next to me on the couch.

"She was ecstatic. She still hasn't told Jeff," I replied, leaning my head on Chopper's shoulder.

"You're kidding," Chopper chuckled.

"Nope, that's why we hung up."

"Blaze?"

"Hmm?"

"Did you ever tell your parents we were engaged?" I nodded.

"They were ecstatic. My mom was screaming and my dad was speechless."

"Okay, I just didn't remember you telling me that you told them."

"Sorry, it's been a rough few weeks," I whispered.

"I know." Chopper kissed my temple as I snuggled up closer to him. I didn't want to let go. Chopper didn't seem to have any intentions of leaving so I took that as a sign that I could take a small cat nap.

* * *

**Chopper**

Blaze had fallen asleep pretty quickly. I didn't want to move her, nor did I feel like moving anyways so I just sat there motionless, making sure I didn't wake her up because she didn't get near enough sleep as it was.

Slowly I nodded off as well, once in a while adjusting so that Blaze wouldn't suddenly slump into my lap and wake up from the impact.

It was finally five thirty when Blaze stirred. Her eyes opened immediately. They didn't open slowly, nor did they shoot open, they just opened.

"You okay?" I yawned.

"Yeah, bad dream…" Blaze mumbled. I looked at her curiously, but her expression showed that any questions in that direction would be unwelcome. I unwillingly dropped the subject.

We got up to head off to dinner.

Dinner was… interesting to put it mildly. The gang and I were sitting down, eating our dinner, having a civil conversation, when a guy named Aaron, whose callsign was Cupid, burst through the dining room doors… in a tutu. Not a little pink fluff, I mean fully decked out in the tights, corset, the skirt, and the shoes (how he got his feet into those shoes I'll never know because he doesn't have the smallest feet in the world).

"What. The. Hell?" I said. Everyone just stared wide-eyed at him as he ran between all the tables then out through the doors again. My question was why did he have a tutu on and where did he get it? Blaze was the first one to start laughing. Soon everyone in the cafeteria was laughing their heads off.

Once everyone had caught their breath from laughing, we continued eating.

"Hey Blaze?" I asked as we were walking out of the dining hall.

"Yeah?" Blaze yawned.

"Do you want to sleep in my room tonight?" I inquired kind of quietly. Blaze's cheeks flushed but she nodded with a heart-melting smile.

"I'd love to. Let me just get my jammies on and brush my teeth and then I'll head on over," She told me.

"No problem." I walked her to her room like a gentleman before heading off to my room.

Blaze came to my room about half an hour later.

"Good night," She said as she snuggled up underneath the covers.

"Good night Blazing Star," I whispered, kissing her on the cheek. Blaze's lips turned into a smile as she fell asleep beside me.

* * *

**November 28, 2010…**

"Lieutenants, report to the Commander. He has a job for you," Hamilton instructed us. When he walked away, I groaned.

"What does that geezer want now?" I muttered as Blaze and I headed to the Base Commander's room from the crew room. I opened the door for Blaze as we walked in. We stood at attention as we waited for the Commander to start on what he had called us down for. I heard the pounding of steps and risked a glance behind me. Nagase was next to Blaze while Grimm appeared next to me.

"Lieutenants, you have been requested to do a fly-by above November International Stadium as a pre-speech show. I want you up in the air and practicing until I order you to come down. Understood?" The Commander glared at us.

"Sir, yes, sir!" We said. We saluted him before heading to the hangar.

"What planes do you want to fly in?" Pops inquired.

"I think we will fly in the F-15C's," Blaze decided. Pops nodded and pointed us to the hangar that the planes were in. None of us wasted any time getting into the planes and taking off. We really didn't want to get yelled at by the Base Commander even though we didn't give jack about what he said. But, since this was kind of an honor to be doing a fly-by over the stadium, we were going to hold our tongues and actually listen for once.

"Nagase, you lead the formation. I can't remember jack about that fly-by we learned in school and I know you aced that thing," Blaze ordered.

"Are you sure?" Nagase inquired.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Okay…" Nagase sounded hesitant.

* * *

**Hamilton**

I watched as the Wardog Squadron flew in perfect formation. They were good. Almost too good. They were a threat to any enemy that crossed their path. It was interesting to say the least.

I had dug up some videos of the Demon Lord and the similarity of flying between Blaze and the Demon Lord was uncanny. They pulled the same maneuvers, they pulled strategies. The only difference was Blaze seemed to be more unpredictable. She would pull out of a straight dive without any warning. She did everything without warning. Not just in the air either. She was unpredictable on the ground. You never knew what her schedule was. One day she would be in the crew room and the next she'd be in the hangar where Pops was and then the next day she would be asleep in her room (or Chopper's room).

They executed the end of the fly-by perfectly with Nagase and Blaze going up into a loop and Chopper and Grimm splitting off and regrouping for one more pass above the pretend stadium which we were using markers on the ground to mimic the stadium's size.

The practice went on for a grueling four hours of the same movements. No matter what they did, the Commander always found something wrong with it. One of them was too far away or one was going too slow. Near the end, Blaze and Chopper started singing- very off-key might I add- _I'll Make A Man Out of You_ again. Nagase and Grimm jumped in. I think the Base Commander couldn't take the singing anymore because he ordered them to land immediately.

They did so without any argument or hesitation leading me to the conclusion that they had purposefully sang to annoy the Base Commander. They didn't sing it just once, oh no. They sang it _six times in a row_, never once missing a word or beat.

When the Wardog Squad landed, they bolted inside, far away from all of us 'top brass.'

* * *

**November 29, 2010…**

**Grimm**

It was the day of the fly-by. Blaze, Chopper, Nagase, Cassie, Genette and I were all pretty stoked about it for two reasons. One reason was because we were being given a great honor. Second reason was Genette and Cassie were being allowed to come fly with us. Genette was given permission to take pictures while we did the fly-by so he was super excited about that part.

The six of us walked to the briefing room with our excitement bubbling to near overload. Sitting down, we could barely stop fidgeting.

The briefer walked in with a stern look on his face. He turned to face the room, which turned out to be just us six. Orson Perrault walked in a few seconds later, looking like he had had some more donuts. One day, I was going to find that stash he hid because I swear he did. Of course, Chopper's the one that gave me the idea in the first place.

The Base Commander cleared his throat to get our attention.

"We're holding a peace ceremony at a stadium in November City. Our Vice President will be giving a speech to rally the citizens. Now… uh… you've been asked to do a fly-by above the ceremony. Don't screw this up!" The Base Commander yelled.

Chopper grumbled something indecipherable loud enough for just me and the gang to hear it. I couldn't understand jack what he said but Blaze got it because she masked her laughing by having a coughing fit.

The Base Commander continued. "You should consider this an honor, and do your part to boost citizen morale! This is the Vice President we're dealing with here, so consider this a guard detail as well and be prepared for anything out there.

Taking his cue, the briefer began his briefing. "Your mission this time takes place above November International Stadium—a gigantic, 70,000-seat arena located in the center of the city of November, on the southern coastline of Osea. Vice President Appelrouth is giving a speech there, and you will be conducting a fly-by above the stadium as part of the production. You can return to base as 1730 hours, the time the speech is scheduled to end. After the fly-by, remain in formation and conduct a combat air patrol in and around the stadium until that time. This is a ceremonial flight, but you will be fully armed in case of an emergency. Don't forget to patrol the airspace surrounding the stadium too."

Operation: Supercircus  
Location: November City  
Date: 29/11/2010  
Time: 1030 Hours

I had kind of blanked out during that whole briefing because I was thinking about that guy Cupid running around in a tutu in my mind. He wouldn't tell anyone why he did it but he suddenly had a ton of cash during a poker game we held which didn't make sense because Chopper had wiped him clean of money. Needless to say, he was broke again due to Chopper a little while later.

The six of us got up and headed towards the hangar. None of us thought that this would actually turn into a battle. Enemy planes would be spotted if they came that far inland. There was no way they could come.

Our spirits were high. Chopper was carrying Blaze fireman-style to the hangar. Blaze was laughing as she attempted to get him to put her down. No such luck there.

Finally, he put her down so she could assign us our planes. Of course, she had had the planes picked out for a while: the F-15Cs. I liked the plane. It was easy to maneuver, great at air combat, and had a decent speed.

I hopped into my plane; Cassie was going to be my RIO. Genette was going to ride with Chopper but Nagase convinced the Base Commander to let Genette fly with her. Blaze and Chopper were flying solo in their planes, which I kind of felt bad about.

We took off as soon as we could, because we were on a tight schedule with no margin for error.

* * *

**November City…**

November City appeared on the horizon. I could just see the outline of the buildings. Mainly I could see the searchlight from the stadium going every which way in the sky.

"Let's do this!" Blaze exclaimed.

"I'm proud to be able to fly like this," I said. Never in my mind had I ever thought I would be asked to do a fly-by, especially not a fly-by as honorary as this.

"This is a ceremonial flight. Watch you manners, Kid," Chopper teased.

"Me? Watch my manners? Why whatever are you talking about? It's not like I insult the top brass or bug our AWACS or disobey orders once in a while," Blaze replied, acting innocent.

"Oh no, not at all. That's Nagase," Chopper laughed.

"Hey! You two are the ones that are-" Nagase started.

"It was a joke Nagase. Geez! This leading the flight thing has got you really flustered," Chopper pointed out.

"Well, we're kind of doing this for the Vice President and I really don't want to screw up," Nagase said bluntly.

"Do you want me to do it Nagase?" Blaze inquired. I knew she hated leading honorary stuff. I wasn't exactly sure why but I just knew she did.

"No, I can do this," Nagase assured her.

"Alright, let me know if you need to change positions sooner than later though okay?"

"Got it."

The four of us flew in a few seconds of silence before Nagase started speaking again.

"Everyone, form up and don't stray apart from each other. Okay, Blaze?" Nagase questioned seriously.

"I'll be fine. It's Chopper you should worry about. He's been weaving all over the place," Blaze chuckled.

"Great. Let's begin." We formed up perfectly… or as perfectly as we could get it. We were in a tight formation.

"It's time. Begin your ceremonial flight," Thunderhead informed us as if we didn't know already. That guy seriously needed to work on his timing.

We flew straight before heading up at a steep angle towards the sky to about seven thousand feet before we started heading back down again. When we had leveled out at about two thousand feet, we went back up again. I don't know who had planned this flight path but it was kind of erratic.

None of us were speaking. Even Motormouth Chopper wasn't because we were all too worried that we would screw up and the Base Commander would have our heads if that happened.

We leveled out at around six thousand feet. Then, once more, we headed back towards the ground at a semi-steep angle.

"Nice, Kid. We look great," Chopper commented.

"Thanks. Let's keep this up so we can fly casually and show off to the spectators," Blaze chirped.

"I like showing off," Chopper agreed.

"Yeah, we know you do," I joked.

"Shut up, Grimm," Chopper muttered but I knew he was smiling.

We were barely a thousand feet above the ground when we leveled out once more. The buildings below me zipped past my plane. It didn't feel like I was going that fast but I knew I was. Maybe it was because I was so used to flying that it felt like a really, really fast car although how a car and a plane are similar I'm not sure.

The next move was where Chopper would turn his plane sideways to the left, I would turn my plane sideways to the right, and Nagase and Blaze would turn their planes upside down, rolling the opposite way in the process.

When we righted back up, I could clearly see the stadium right in front of me, its searchlights waving in the sky like those balloon men with the crazy flailing arms.

Our next maneuver was for all of us to do what Chopper and I had done. Blaze and Chopper would turn their planes horizontally in the air towards the right while Nagase and I did it the left. We flew like that above the stadium before righting up into a tight formation that we had managed to hold together flawlessly.

"We're doing awesome!" Chopper shouted.

"We were born this way!" Blaze laughed.

"I. Hate. That. Song," Nagase said through what I knew was gritted teeth. I heard Blaze giggling over the mic. Cassie was laughing too at our antics.

"I didn't know you guys were so chit-chatty," Cassie told me.

"We're just getting started," I grinned.

"We're keeping this formation pretty tight," I said.

"That's good. It looks better the tighter it is. It also looks more complex which is the effect we're going for," Blaze answered.

For the final part of our fly-by, Nagase and Blaze went up into a loop where Nagase went in a tighter loop while Blaze went in a wider one so that she would end up in front, Nagase would end up in the back. Chopper and I split sideways. We ended up in perfect formation as we did a 360 turn above the stadium. After that, we got in standard formation, Nagase on Blaze's left, Chopper on Blaze's right, and I on her six.

"This marks the end of your flight. Good work, Wardog," Thunderhead announced.

"Thanks Thunderhead," Blaze said.

"You wouldn't expect any less from this group. We were really smooth up there," Chopper pointed out.

"We're always smooth," Nagase acknowledged.

"Oh my god! I just realized something!" Chopper gawped.

"What?" Blaze asked.

"Thunderhead actually gave us a compliment," Chopper told us.

"You're right! He did!" I agreed.

"Don't make me regret it," Thunderhead muttered.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Chopper inquired innocently.

"You really expect me to answer that?" Thunderhead countered.

"No, I just want to bug you," Chopper replied simply.

"Well you're doing a fantastic job," Thunderhead remarked and I could just see the eye roll he was giving Chopper.

"Stay in formation. The V.P's speech is about to start," Blaze ordered. We stopped our ongoing conversation and waited for the speech. We listened for the broadcast impatiently. As I waited for the speech to begin, I saw the flashing lights of cameras from photographers and citizens. It looked like a lot of white Christmas lights blinking. Christmas was just a few weeks away. It made me wonder if this war was going to be over by then so I could be home with my family. My train of thought was interrupted by the Vice President's speech beginning.

"People of Osea…" The V.P. began. "Please lend an ear to this broadcast. As your Vice President, I stand here on behalf of the President of Osea. Listen to your fellow countrymen cheering before me. They are filled with anger against Yuktobania, and they swear that they will not drop their weapons until Yuktobania has surrendered. Now, I ask you to listen. Listen to their cheers!"

"Aw, great," Chopper muttered. "Here comes the thunderous applause."

I waited for the applause to come… but it never did. Instead, it sounded more like singing… it _was_ singing. I tried to decipher what the song was. Finally, I figured it out. It was _Journey Home_, personally, one of the best songs ever made. However, I don't think that was the reaction the Vice President was hoping for.

"Wait, that song…" The Vice President stammered. "Citizens, please, stop this…"

"Thoughts endless in flight, day turns to night…" Chopper started singing along and very off-key might I add.

"That's not exactly Rock n' Roll, you know," I felt compelled to point out.

"Who cares?" Chopper retorted. "Hey, they wanna get along with the enemy too, right? Man, this song's got soul!"

"Amen!" Blaze agreed.

**Mission Update**

"This is Thunderhead. Approaching enemy formation confirmed. Wardog, engage them," Thunderhead ordered.

"Whoa, what?!" Blaze practically shouted. "Why the hell are there enemy planes?!"

"I don't know. They shouldn't have gotten so far inland without being spotted," Nagase though aloud.

"Stadium in sight," A Yuke said. Damn, they were going after the stadium. But why?

"Secure the airspace until the Gorizont Squadron arrives," Another Yuke replied.

"Tally ho! Enemy fighters," I announced solemnly.

"Wardog, engage them," Blaze ordered. "Chopper, stick to my tail. Grimm, Nagase, cover each other. Whatever you do, don't fight them one on one."

"You got it Blaze," Chopper replied without hesitation.

Blaze sounded… off… I don't know why but something about her tone of voice was off. It unnerved me.

"Are we… the only allies here?" Nagase asked quietly. Crap, I hadn't thought about that.

Blaze had already shot down two aircraft that she had gone head-on with. She was trailing another plane with Chopper at her tail like a dutiful dog. Maybe he sensed something was off with Blaze too because he answered her immediately, completely serious, no joking tone in his voice at all. Cassie was instructing me on where enemy planes were… which was all around us pretty much.

Nagase was in front while I covered her tail. She was heading towards an enemy aircraft near the stadium that had slipped past Blaze unnoticed. Actually, I think Blaze knew it was there, she was just letting us get it.

"McNealy Air Force Base tried to scramble fighters, but the runway was blocked after someone crashed on takeoff," Thunderhead revealed.

"How the hell do you crash on takeoff?" Chopper sounded appalled. I had to agree with him. Takeoff is one of the easiest things to do. I mean, seriously? Takeoff? Landing I can understand because that is a complete pain but takeoff? Eesh…

Nagase started firing at the enemy plane that was just beyond her gun point but she was closing in fast on it so shooting now was helping her get aim I guess.

Blaze had shot down the plane she had been after; Chopper hadn't strayed five feet from Blaze's plane in the meantime.

"I'm calling for reinforcements now. It'll be six minutes before the nearest squadron arrives," Thunderhead told us grimly.

"Roger that," Nagase replied.

"So we're on our own until then?" I asked wearily.

"Looks like it," Blaze mumbled. I suddenly realized there were three times as many planes as from when we started. I counted nine planes total but I knew more were on their way.

"This is not good," Blaze said. "We're completely outnumbered."

"That's never stopped us before," Chopper pointed out.

"This feels different," Blaze countered.

"Like what?" Chopper inquired curiously. It didn't seem like he wanted to make fun of Blaze, he wanted to know what was wrong.

"I don't know… there's something off about this whole thing," Blaze replied carefully. So that's why she had sounded so weird in the beginning of the mission.

"…Hey, wait a minute," Chopper said suddenly.

"What?" Blaze asked quickly.

"Whoa, they're still singing. Why aren't they evacuating the stadium? Where's the air-raid siren?" Chopper practically shouted. I listened over all the chatter and static on the mic and sure enough, I heard the ongoing singing from the citizens down below.

"Are you saying the enemy's invaded this far inland?" A stadium personnel guy questioned in shock.

"Yes! Now sound that damn alarm!" Blaze ordered. Ooh, someone was ticked off. But honestly, if you see planes shooting at each other, I think that's a pretty good indication to sound the air-raid siren, don't you think?

"Are you sure those planes are headed for this stadium?" Another stadium personnel guy asked.

"Dammit! Sound the alarm!" Blaze shouted.

"Captain Blaze, calm yourself!" Thunderhead ordered.

"I would if they would sound that freaking alarm! There's a damn air-raid," Blaze ranted.

"Thunderhead, I'm agreeing with Blaze on this one," Chopper said.

"You always agree with Blaze," Thunderhead retorted.

"That's because she's always right unlike some people I know," Chopper pointed out. I heard Chopper say Thunderhead when he coughed and I laughed, knowing full well that Thunderhead heard it.

"For your information, I'm right on many things," Thunderhead objected.

"Yeah, when _we_ already know it," Chopper countered.

"Leave it Chopper. You can't win with the top brass. They think they know it all," Blaze laughed.

"Very true," Chopper agreed.

"How could they time this so well? Were they listening to the speech, too?" A stadium personnel wondered aloud.

"Or they have really good timing," Nagase suggested.

"Or both," Blaze grumbled.

"Knowing our luck, it's the latter of the two," Chopper said.

"See, you always agree with Blaze," Thunderhead pointed out.

"And see, you think you know everything," Chopper countered.

"Is this the Yukes' way of expressing their opinion of the speech?" One of the stadium personnel suggested.

Nagase and I strayed a bit apart from each other going after two planes that were flying next to each other. After firing two missiles at Blaze which missed her by a long shot, the enemy plane I was trailing went into a loop. I followed closely, making sure I didn't lose it. There was no way I was letting the enemy take over November City.

Nagase had strayed farther away from me chasing after another enemy place. Once I had shot down the one I was after, I went to her trail position again, protecting her.

I could see Genette's head swiveling to find enemy planes. Turning around, I saw Cassie doing the same.

"Your objective is to keep civilian casualties as low as you possibly can," Thunderhead said.

"Well if the stadium picks up the pace with the evacuation, that will be easy," Blaze retorted.

"Someone's in a bad mood," Nagase commented.

"Something's off about this mission and it's bugging me, that's all," Blaze replied.

"What is it?" Chopper inquired.

"If I knew that, I would tell you," Blaze snapped.

"Whoa, easy tiger. I was just wondering," Chopper defended.

"I know. All the stress is getting to me," Blaze apologized.

"Well, you're kind of the captain of one of the most well-known squadrons in the war. I can't imagine the pressure you're under right now," Chopper consoled. Blaze laughed tiredly.

"Just stick close to me, okay?"

"Okay," Chopper replied without hesitation.

Blaze shot past me with Chopper barely a second behind her. Nagase and I still had no clue how Chopper managed to follow Blaze's mercurial flight paths. They were headed after an enemy that had been circling the stadium relentlessly. What it was trying to do, I wasn't sure, but Blaze obviously didn't like the constant circling so she decided that she was going to make clean work of it. She did too. Barely a minute went by before that enemy plane was falling in a heap towards the ground.

"Grimm, behind you!" Cassie warned quickly.

"Aaah, missile!" I exclaimed suddenly. I realized there were two enemy planes behind me. God, they need rearview mirrors on these planes so that I can see and so can Cassie. We're not flies and can see all over the freaking place.

"Get out of their Grimm! You too Nagase!" Blaze ordered.

I didn't need to be told twice. Nagase and I split and grouped up with Blaze and Chopper while Blaze went head- on with an enemy plane.

I swear to god I heard Blaze growl at the enemy plane. I felt compelled to ask her about it.

"Blaze, did you just growl?" I queried.

"Yes, and I have no shame in it either," Blaze replied.

"Awesome, my fiancée is a werewolf. That's _grrrr_eat!" Chopper laughed good-naturedly.

"Really Chopper?" Nagase mused.

"Did you forget your own philosophy Nagase? Always expect the unexpected from Chopper," I repeated.

"How could I forget?" Nagase chuckled. She told Chopper, "I'm still amazed you haven't been suspended for all the insults you imply for the top brass."

"I like to think it's because of my stunning good looks," Chopper replied.

"What?" Nagase sounded confused.

"Not your perky nipples like Dean Winchester?" Blaze laughed.

"That too," Chopper added.

"Oh god," Cassie laughed.

"The enemy's targeting a public rally!" Nagase said in frustration. "What are they thinking?! This breaks every engagement rule in the book!"

"No kidding!" Blaze agreed.

"They're singing the song for solidarity with Yuktobania down there! Why now?" Nagase inquired.

"They're sick of losing the people they love," Blaze answered. I thought about that. Would my parents be down there as well, singing for harmony with Yuktobania if I or my brother had died in combat? Blaze had a good point… I just wondered where she got it from.

My train of thought was stopped when Blaze did a rolling turn over me. That girl had some serious skill. Then I realized she had been avoiding a missile and had rolled to avoid the missile _and_ me.

"Blaze, do you want me and Grimm to split up? We'll be more successful in shooting them down," Nagase pointed out.

"No," Blaze said firmly. "Stay in pairs. None of us are going to fight them one on one. This time, we always have back up."

I wasn't sure what Blaze was so upset about on this mission. She seemed nervous, scared. I couldn't quite place it.

"Our allied planes will deal with the unknown aircraft. Start escorting the crowd," A stadium personnel guy ordered.

"No shi-" Blaze began but Thunderhead cut her off.

"Captain Blaze! Watch your language!" Thunderhead warned.

"Screw you," Blaze muttered. I heard Chopper cough from surprise at what Blaze had said. Blaze was known to mouth off a little to the top brass but never had she actually told them to go screw themselves.

"Oh wait," Blaze added. "You already have."

Chopper howled with laughter as I felt my mouth drop open. Nagase slowly said "Holy crap" while Thunderhead sputtered from shock.

"How dare you insult me like that!" Thunderhead roared.

"Save it Thunderhead. I'm a little bitchy right now because I'm really pissed off at Yuktobania, I'm in a damn freaking air battle with no allied planes and mix those two together, and I get seriously pissed off by people who think they're so high and mighty when really it's the ones that are in the lower ranks doing all the damn work. So if I offended you, I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not."

Thunderhead was speechless by Blaze's sudden tirade. I knew she had no love of the top brass but to insult them like that… she was going to get an earful when we got back to base.

Thunderhead smartly dropped the subject as Blaze sighed in moodily.

"Calm down, Blaze. You can punch him when we get back to base," Chopper assured her.

"Don't tell me that or I will," Blaze replied bluntly. Cassie was cracking up.

"She has guts," Cassie declared.

"You have no idea," I laughed.

"We'll evacuate the Vice President through the boiler room on the eastern side," A stadium personnel announced.

"Open the entrance gates. Get the people on the first floor out that way," Another one said.

"Once they're out, get them as far away as possible," Someone else shouted.

Nagase and I went into a loop to follow two enemies trailing Blaze and Chopper who were trailing two other enemy planes. I'm sure it looked weird to the people down below to see eight planes lined up with each other.

"…All right. Let's think about our priorities here," A stadium personnel guy said. These guys were not that bright… at all. They should've been thinking about their priorities at the beginning, not in the middle of the freaking air battle. Sheesh! And I thought Blaze and Chopper were blonde. These stadium personnel people made us look like super-geniuses.

"Evacuation has begun," Thunderhead informed us.

"Well it's about freaking time!" Blaze muttered.

"Well, yeah, but they can't get out that fast," I pointed out.

"That's why I've been freaking out that they didn't evacuate sooner," Blaze said.

"Why'd the Vice President have to assemble so many people here?" Chopper inquired. "Geez, what a moron."

"Captain Davenport, shut your mouth and take out those enemies," Thunderhead told Chopper fiercely.

"Aye, aye, Sir. Now you're talkin'," Chopper said. I could just see the Cheshire cat grin Chopper had on his face.

Blaze and Chopper flew down low through the buildings to lose some enemy planes that had been trailing them. It worked. Their planes blended in with the slate colored buildings, making it almost impossible for the enemy to see them.

"We're being pushed back," Nagase announced worriedly.

"How's Genette?" Blaze inquired fretfully.

"He's doing good. Hasn't passed out yet which is a good sign," Nagase answered with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"How's Cassie?"

"Great. She's been laughing at our conversations this whole time. She loved you telling off Thunderhead," I announced with a grin.

"Heh," Blaze laughed sheepishly.

"Oh _now_ she's embarrassed," Chopper commented.

Blaze and Chopper shot up from the buildings between two enemy planes. I think Blaze and Chopper scared the hell out of those enemies because they jerked away when it happened, plus it took them a few seconds to realize it was Blaze and Chopper. Then the enemies made the mistake of going head on with them. Word of advice, never go head on with Blaze and Chopper… you won't win…

"Kvant Eight shot down! Damn Razgriz!" A Yuke announced.

"It's his fault he didn't move fast enough," Blaze retorted.

"Or maybe it's because you shot him down," Chopper said.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"No one escapes when you go after them."

"Yeah they do, it's just not often," Blaze said.

"You know what I mean," Chopper answered.

"Four minutes until reinforcements arrive," Thunderhead told us.

I headed after an enemy plane that had zipped too close to the stadium. Nothing was going to happen to that stadium as long as I was here. Rolling my plane to the right, I kept low to the ground at first, then I slowly started making my way up to the plane, staying right underneath it, in its blind spot. I got within ten feet below it before decreasing my speed just enough that it could get in front of me and I could get a clean shot. It worked. Barely a second had gone by before I locked onto the target and had fired a missile straight at its middle. The plane didn't even have time to react before it got hit.

"Nice shot Grimm," Cassie praised.

"Thank you sweetie," I said.

"Just as we briefed, there's only four of them," A Yuke said, sounding confident.

"That may be enough. These are the Razgriz, after all," Another Yuke replied a little hesitantly.

"Thunderhead, when are those reinforcements going to get here? We are completely surrounded!" Blaze sounded frazzled; the pressure she was under must've been incredible.

"Just hold on for a couple more minutes!" Thunderhead sounded exasperated.

"I feel like we're being sent to die as some sacrifice!" Nagase exclaimed.

"Don't say that!" Blaze said sharply… she never spoke sharply to us. What was wrong? What in the hell had put Blaze so over the edge? "No one's dying. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not a week after today. No one is this squadron is dying."

None of us really knew how to reply to that, so we didn't.

"Somebody go up to the front of the line and guide everyone out," A stadium personnel guy shouted. The evacuation _still_ wasn't done? Good god we have such idiots on the ground. I hate to sound mean but we do, I'm sorry.

Blaze and Chopper were coming head on with us; I realized why after my missile alert went off. Blaze lifted her plane just a little bit before firing her guns at the enemy plane. With Chopper's help, the plane exploded into a massive fire ball. Blaze jerked her plane up to fire at the enemy plane that had been trailing her and Chopper for some time.

"Can you evacuate the VIP boxes first?" A stadium personnel guy asked.

"Divert the enemy's attention over here!" Chopper suggested, flying east of the stadium. Blaze followed him, not letting him out of her sight. "Get out of there, everyone! I'll buy you as much time as I can!"

"_We_ are going to buy y'all as much time as _we_ can," Blaze corrected.

"Grimm, that enemy plane is still behind you," Cassie informed me.

"Damn, he won't give up!" I grunted with annoyance. That enemy plane trailing me for a while and it looked like he wasn't giving up any time soon.

"Like hell he's getting you," Blaze muttered.

"I got it Blaze," Nagase assured her. Nagase got behind the plane, attempting to get a missile lock on it. It was no good. The enemy kept weaving from side to side, not allowing her to get a missile lock.

"Dammit, stay still!" Nagase ordered the plane. I turned around to see where the plane was… and it wasn't there anymore. Well, it was but it was on fire and falling towards the ground.

"Nice shot Nagase," I complimented.

"That wasn't me," Nagase replied.

"Then who was it?"

"Blaze," Nagase replied simply. I looked behind me. Blaze wasn't there. Looking around, she was coming perpendicular to where Nagase and I were.

"You shot that down Blaze?" I asked in amazement.

"It wasn't leaving you alone and it was pissing me off," Blaze answered bashfully.

"Wow, a real dogfight. I kind of wish I could stay and watch," A stadium personnel said thoughtfully.

"Three more minutes," Thunderhead announced.

"Thank god," Blaze murmured. I had barely heard her but it was definitely her.

"What's the point of this mission?" A Yuke muttered. I couldn't agree more with the guy (never thought I'd say I agreed with a damn Yuke) because for one, they shouldn't be here and two, I wasn't in the mood to have the top brass yelling at us to get our asses moving when all they did was sit down and do jack except give us orders. Yeah, and we need to move _our_ asses. Pfft!

"Kvant Six, watch yourself. Don't let your Captain hear that," Another Yuke warned.

Chopper and Blaze were attacking a _new_ enemy formation that had appeared on the horizon on top of all the other squadrons that were here. We were outnumbered four to one; we still had two minutes before our chance of surviving this ordeal increased by having reinforcements backing us up.

The two of them went head on using their special weapons to attack from a longer distance. The each fired two missiles, one at each plane, before going into a complete nosedive towards the ground. Three of the four planes went down while the fourth one that had been smart enough to get out of the missiles way was seeking revenge on Blaze and Chopper by going after them. He didn't last long when Nagase and I got behind him.

"You can thank those damn warmongers for all this," A stadium personnel guy muttered.

"I can assure you that I and my squadron are no warmongers," Blaze shot back.

"If you're going to attack, attack the Vice President. The rest of us just want peace," Another personnel guy said. I had to say, that logic wasn't half as cocked as it sounded. Most of us, obviously excluding the Vice President, wanted peace. Hell, everyone on base (excluding the Base Commander because he's a greedy, selfish warmonger) wanted peace too.

"I guess we just took a step back on the road to peace…" The same personnel guy said.

"Kid, this is Chopper. Are the reinforcements close?"

"We have a little over two minutes to go. Just hang in there," Blaze replied tiredly. Chopper wasn't the one that needed to be told to hang in there. It sounded more like it was Blaze that needed to hang in there.

"Roger. I'll hang on a little longer," Chopper assured.

"Please, miss!" Nagase whispered as she avoided a missile fired at her. I wondered how Genette was holding up with almost dying so many times. That guy had guts if he was flying with Nagase because Nagase was kind of a crazy flyer too. Genette should be glad he wasn't flying with Blaze or Chopper because those two would make Genette black out in five seconds flat.

With the help of Cassie, we spotted the airplane that was after Nagase. It had been in my blind spot. I slowed down a little bit so that I could get behind the plane and get a clean shot. Unfortunately, this fighter was actually kind of smart and bailed out on Nagase before I could get a missile lock on them. I followed the plane closely with Nagase right behind me. It finally made the mistake of trying to fight Chopper head on and that's when the enemy got shot down. How many times have I said _never_ go head to head with Chopper or Blaze? The odds of you winning are almost impossible.

"Too many, too many, there's too many!" Chopper yelled in frustration.

"We can't let them take control of the airspace!" Nagase said.

"We're not going to let them," Blaze answered with determination. She sounded so confident right then and there that I believed her. We weren't going to let them take over. Not on my watch… or Blaze's for that matter.

"Captain Davenport, how much longer do you think we can hold them off?!" I asked. I wasn't really thinking about how that sounded because my mind was on massive overload with everything going on. The last thing my brain needed was for us to lose this battle or for one of us to get shot down.

"Til the very end, you idiot! We've got to protect these people!" Chopper replied sharply. I knew he hadn't meant to call me an idiot, but I had deserved it because that really was a stupid question I had asked.

By now, I wasn't thinking when I flew. I flew as it came to me, I acted on instinct. Screw the stuff we learned in school, the proper way to shoot down or evade an enemy. The only rule out here is to survive and to survive, you have to do what you have to do and not think about what you're supposed to do.

"Good god, what is with all these planes? This isn't normal!" I exclaimed.

"How the hell did the enemy planes get this far inland without being spotted? That's my question!" Blaze exclaimed.

"And I thought I was sneaky," Chopper joked, obviously trying to lighten the mood, although you could tell his heart wasn't in the joke.

"Please, I'm sneakier than you," Blaze replied with a small laugh.

"Oh really?" Chopper countered.

"Yeah, don't you remember Thanksgiving when we were playing hide and seek in the dark with my little cousins and I had on dark jeans and a black shirt and I hid under a shelf and it took y'all five rounds of hide and go seek to find me even after y'all shined the flashlight on me?"

"No…" Chopper said unconvincingly.

"Sure you don't," Blaze said and I knew she was smirking.

"Fine, you win, I do remember it," Chopper grumbled in defeat.

"Ha!" Blaze declared triumphantly. "I knew it!"

"You're as bad as Chris Tucker in Rush Hour when you're right about something," Chopper joked.

"No, I'm Jackie Chan, you're Chris Tucker because you're the funny one," Blaze pointed out.

"True," Chopper agreed.

"And you're always checking out women," I added.

"Do not!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Well then you used to before you got completely whipped by Blaze," I corrected.

"Remind we to kick your ass when we get back to base," Chopper threatened lightly.

"Yeah, yeah, I know you will," I replied, completely unworried.

Right after I said that, an enemy plane came dangerously close behind me and started firing at me. I rolled my plane to the left, to the right, but no matter what I did, the plane wouldn't leave me.

"We can't make it. There's too many of them!" I announced as I pulled into a steep incline. "Get this bastard off of me!"

"I'm coming!" Nagase told me.

"Hang in there. Two minutes until allied reinforcements arrive," Thunderhead tried to calm us down but there was nothing that could stop my overloaded brain now except two things: the first being this mission ending in success and we could go home or two, this mission ended in disaster and we all got shot down. I was hoping it would be the former one.

"Okay, I'll get ready to pass the baton!" Chopper replied cheerfully.

"Two minutes my butt! Do see how many damn fighters we're up against?!" Blaze asked incredulously.

"Yes, I do, but freaking out won't help," Thunderhead said.

"I'm not freaking out, I'm stressed out. You would be too if you were fighting all these enemies but you're not so don't tell me to calm down bucko!" Blaze warned. Thunderhead sighed because he knew Blaze wasn't going to calm down.

"Blaze, did you eat today?" Chopper inquired.

"Yeah, why?" Blaze answered as she shot down an enemy plane.

"Because you get cranky when you haven't eaten. Do you need a Snickers bar?"

"Oh very funny. I'm not Betty White," Blaze retorted.

"Yeah, you need a Snickers bar," Chopper decided with finality.

"I do not need a Snickers bar!" Blaze defended.

"I'm agreeing with Chopper, Blaze. You need a Snickers bar," Nagase said.

"Y'all shut up," Blaze mumbled. Chopper and Nagase laughed.

"Attention, all units approaching November City. I guess they had us going, too…" A voice said over the mic. I recognized the voice but I couldn't place who it was, which was driving me even more insane. It was deep and firm, making it obvious he held power over someone or something.

"What? Who is this?" Thunderhead questioned with confusion. How come Thunderhead didn't know who this person was? Thunderhead knew everybody.

"That was a pretty good drill they got going. Anyway, drill is over. Return to base," The voice ordered.

"Wait! What are you talking about?" Thunderhead ordered. Nothing happened. "ECCM! Restore communication link!"

"What the hell is happening?!" Blaze demanded. She didn't understand what just happened, I did though in a sense.

"The allied planes aren't coming!" I explained fearfully. "What's going on?!"

For one of the rare times in my life, I was actually scared. Not scared, but terrified. We were completely outnumbered. I had a very little inkling that we might actually get out of this alive but it was going to take a major miracle for it to happen.

"Reinforcements are on their way! Just hang in there!" Thunderhead consoled.

"No… they're not… they would've been here by now." Blaze spoke quietly with an eerie calmness. I had a feeling she had known that reinforcements weren't coming.

"Don't say that Blaze," Chopper told her.

"It's true Chopper. They're not coming," Blaze said with defeat prominent in her voice.

"How do you know that?" Chopper asked.

"You don't want to know…" Blaze muttered.

"Dammit, none of the bases are responding to me!" Thunderhead sounded aggravated.

Blaze and Chopper were chasing an enemy plane that had been evading them for some time now. Blaze was pissed off and upset, Chopper was pissed off and confused, Nagase was pissed off and thoughtful, and I was pissed off and clueless. Leave it to me to not know what the hell was going on. Chopper pulled ahead and shot a missile at the plane. The missile hit the plane square in the engine.

"Great balls of fire!" Chopper exclaimed.

"What don't you understand? There's an air battle above the stadium!" Thunderhead explained exasperatedly. "Warning! Enemy radar is tracking your every move!"

"It might help if you tell us _who_ it's tracking," Blaze told him with a sigh.

"They're tracking all of you, especially you Blaze," Thunderhead warned.

"Like hell they're getting to my fiancée. I'll die before I let that happen," Chopper vowed.

"Don't say that!" Blaze shrieked, making me jerk my plane from the surprise of her reaction.

"Whoa, Blaze, easy. I'm not going anywhere," Chopper assured her.

"The Vice President has already left the stadium!" A personnel guy informed. Well at least the moron was safe because unfortunately, we needed him seeing as how our President was nowhere to be seen or heard.

"There's still people in the general admissions seats. Who's evacuating them?!" Another one yelled.

"What the hell are people still doing in the stadium?!" Nagase asked with a mad edge to her voice.

"I was just about to lose it, man," Chopper said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Someone was shooting at Blaze," Chopper replied. If Blaze wasn't our captain, I would point out to Chopper that he _was_ whipped by this girl but it's our job to protect our captain and it's her job to try and stop us from doing that but she knows she'll never win.

"Our air defense system is a wet paper bag! How could the enemy penetrate so far inland?!" I inquired seriously.

"The only way that could've happened is with the help of an inside person but I can't believe that an Osean would help the Yukes attack our homeland," Blaze said as she got behind an enemy plane.

"Bandit at six o'clock. Shake him off," A Yuke warned. I turned to see which one of us was at the enemy plane's six, just to see who it was. I had a feeling it was Blaze… I was right.

"We aren't in a good position here!" Nagase exclaimed as she rolled out of a missiles path.

"No we're not. Where the hell are those reinforcements?!" Blaze demanded furiously.

"This is Edge! I shot one down!"

"Damn, I forgot to keep track of how many planes I shot down," Chopper observed.

"Hey, Nagase, how many planes have you shot down?" I inquired as I fired at an enemy plane with a barrage of gunfire.

"I don't know; I lost count after thirteen," Nagase replied.

"Emergency exits, escape slides… we're using everything!" A personnel man commanded.

"New enemy formation detected. It's a flight of enemy stealth fighters," Thunderhead announced gravely.

"Are they inbound to the stadium?" I questioned, dodging some enemy gunfire.

"They're dead set on crushing us both physically and politically," Chopper grumbled. He had had many close calls with enemy gunfire. Missiles were easy to avoid because they were relatively large and kind of had a mind of their own. Gunfire on the other hand was being controlled by the enemy so in my opinion, gunfire was worse… unless you got hit by a missile, then missiles were worse.

"They're not getting their way on either," Blaze said defiantly.

"Not with you around," Chopper laughed.

"Gorizont One, the sky isn't sanitized yet but go ahead and begin your attack," A Yuke commanded.

"Roger, Kvant. Commencing attack on the stadium," Another Yuke responded obediently.

"Chopper, come with me to fight the- Chopper? Where'd you go?!" Blaze asked seriously.

"I'm coming Blaze I was getting a fighter off of Grimm's tail that he didn't know about," Chopper replied calmly. He hit his afterburners to catch up with Blaze… and that's when I saw it. The enemy plane, I mean. I didn't even have time to say anything because the plane had already hit Chopper.

"Damn!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Are you all right? You've been hit," I said.

"Ahh, it's nothing big. I'm not wounded. I oughta be able to keep this plane in the air a little longer," Chopper replied cooly.

"Chopper! I told you to stick to my tail!" Blaze scolded harshly.

"Relax, it's nothing serious. If I hadn't, Grimm might not be here," Chopper pointed out. I knew Blaze wanted to argue; I knew she was biting her lip to stop herself. "Besides, planes are expendable. Right, Kid?"

"No, they're not," Blaze answered quietly.

"I know, I know. This plane and I are both comin' back. Don't worry so much," Chopper reassured her.

"Chopper, we're completely outnumbered, you're hit, you're my wingman, you're my fiancée, I think I'm going to be a little worried you got hit because the enemy is going to try and shoot you down even more now," Blaze pointed out.

"They won't get me," Chopper chuckled.

"Right behind you, heads up!" A Yuke shouted.

"Approaching release point. We're counting on your escort until we reach the target," A Yuke fighter replied.

"I can't confirm their position from here. You'll have to detect them visually!" Thunderhead informed us gravely.

"I hate stealth fighters," Nagase mumbled.

"They're called stealth for a reason," Chopper said with a laugh.

"Yeah, I know. I still hate them," Nagase retorted.

"I'm just messing with you Nagase. I hate them too."

"I see them! They're over there!" I announced as I turned my plane towards the north. Nagase followed closely behind me.

"How much time has the lead strike force wasted against those four planes?" A Yuke stealth fighter inquired aggravated.

"Captain, I'll hit the fighters first," Nagase said.

"You and Grimm do that while Chopper and I take on the stealth fighters," Blaze replied. Her voice sounded strained.

"We've got to keep the stadium from being bombed!" Nagase pointed out. "Let Grimm and I help you and Chopper!"

"No! Keep those enemy fighters away from me and Chopper. Chopper's already hit. He can't be hit anymore," Blaze ordered. I didn't like it but Blaze had a point. The fewer fighters there were, the less of a chance that Chopper had of being shot at and being hit because he really couldn't afford to be hit again.

"We've got to protect the area until the evacuation is complete!" I told everyone.

"That's what we've been doing," Chopper replied. "Don't make me classify your intelligence with the people on the ground because they're idiots down there."

"Oh shut up!" I said. How could Chopper be making jokes when he was in horrible danger of being shot down?

"Is anyone in contact with the fighters overhead?" A personnel guy asked. Weren't there any girls working at the stadium? All I ever heard was men, men, and more men.

"Just four planes? Can they defend us until the evacuation's complete?" _Another_ personnel guy inquired.

"We've been doing it since y'all started the evacuation," Blaze growled.

"Calm down. We'll just have to trust the Air Force," Someone consoled.

"We can't defend the area with just four planes!" I sighed in frustration. There was no way we could keep this up, but we had to. We couldn't let anything happen to those people down below.

"The evacuation isn't done yet?" Nagase questioned.

"The evacuation was supposed to be done a while ago! What is wrong with the people on the ground?!" Blaze roared.

"Captain, the enemy fighters are going after the stadium!" I told Blaze worriedly. Not only were the stealth fighters going after the stadium, but so were the regular fighters.

"Well don't let them!" Blaze fired.

"Damn, my plane isn't holding up like I thought it would," Chopper observed, seeming kind of surprised.

"Chopper, can you bail out?" Nagase questioned.

"Well, that's kinda difficult right now," Chopper replied hesitantly.

"Bail out, Chopper, please, bail out," Blaze begged.

"I'm fine, I swear, it's just getting a little hard to control, that's all," Chopper assured her, but there was something in his voice that scared me. I couldn't place it and I didn't like that.

"Go back to base. We'll protect you," Blaze suggested, although to me it sounded more like an order.

"All airborne aircraft, do not return to base! November City is still under attack. This is not a drill. Repeat…" Thunderhead notified us.

"Screw you Thunderhead. There's no way in hell I'm letting the enemy get to Chopper," Blaze spat. "Chopper, bail out and get to safety."

"There's nothing but houses down below. I can't leave this plane yet," Chopper pointed out. "Kid, do you see any place where I can drop this plane?"

"Y-yes," Blaze stammered. That's when I was able to place the tone in Blaze's voice that I had been hearing since the enemy planes came: fear. Hearing that in her voice was one of the scariest things I had ever heard because Blaze was never scared during flight. _Never_.

"The stadium, Chopper. Can you hear me?" Nagase inquired seriously. "Drop it into the center of the stadium and bail out. Do you understand?"

"Roger. Good idea… gives me some hope that I might just make it. I'd better wait for the crowd to evacuate some more, though." Chopper didn't sound scared at all, not like Blaze had. The fear I think she felt was enough fear for all of Osea, hell, probably Yuktobania too.

"Chopper, please, bail out, just bail out!" Blaze pleaded.

"I'm fine Blaze, trust me, its okay," Chopper assured her.

"No! It's not okay! I don't want to lose you Chopper!"

"You're not going to," Chopper promised.

"Look, one of the Razgriz planes is trailing smoke," A Yuke sneered in triumph. Damn, the enemy had noticed that Chopper was impaired.

"Are they done evacuating yet?" Chopper questioned curiously. "Dammit, my cockpit's emergency alarm won't shut up."

"Screw the evacuation Chopper! Dammit, just bail out!" Blaze commanded.

"No, I have to wait," Chopper argued lightly.

"Aim for that plane! Now's our chance to take out the demon!" A Yuke yelled.

"Don't you dare go after him you sons of bitches!" Blaze growled. Blaze was furious, she was scared, and that made her deadly. Those planes weren't going to stand a chance against her if she went after them. As if to prove my point, Blaze got behind an enemy plane heading for her and Chopper and fired at it immediately. Her position wasn't the ideal spot for her to shoot but she took the shot and it hit the enemy stealth fighter. I went after another one but Nagase had gotten it. We were on a roll. I think we were all realizing that Chopper might not be coming back with us so we were doing everything we could to make sure he was going to. Blaze was impossible to find with how fast she was going. She was like an electron you know where you can't find the exact location of an electron but when you see an enemy plane going down and no one is near it, you can assume that's where Blaze was.

"Don't let him get away. We'll get a medal for bagging this one," A Yuke encouraged.

"Chopper, I'll cover you!" Nagase told him.

"Grimm, is Chopper going to be all right?" Cassie inquired nervously.

"I don't know," I replied truthfully.

"Me too! There's no way we're letting you…" I couldn't finish the sentence because the realization that we might lose Chopper struck home with me. That fired me up to shoot every single one of these sons of bitches down.

"Take down the enemy first," Chopper argued. "And Blaze, those were their mothers you insulted."

"No. You're more important Chopper," Blaze cut in. "And I don't care that I insulted their mothers."

"Captain Davenport, please bail out!" I told him furiously.

"Just a little more. Just let me keep flying until the evacuation's over," Chopper urged.

"All enemy stealth fighters confirmed destroyed," Thunderhead notified.

"Yeehaw!" Chopper laughed.

"We've called back the allied fighters," Thunderhead notified.

"It's about damn time," Blaze retorted.

"A little too late, man. There goes my radar. My circuits are toast," Chopper notified grimly. No, no, no. This couldn't be happening.

"Chopper! Please, bail out! Please!" Blaze cried. She was completely panicked.

"Look, forget about it, Chopper, just bail out. Please, bail out!" Nagase begged.

"Okay. Guess now's the time," Chopper acknowledged.

I turned my head to find Chopper. Cassie spotted him first and pointed him out to me. He was thankfully headed towards the stadium.

"This is Thunderhead. Captain Davenport, are you all right?"

"Hey, Thunderhead has feelings! Who knew?!" Chopper cracked up. Only Chopper would laugh in the face of death. "There's the stadium. I'm dropping the plane over there."

"Roger. Now, get out," Nagase ordered.

"Chopper, _please_," Blaze begged. "Bail. Out."

"I can't," Chopper replied solemnly. Those words drove a knife in my heart. This was my best friend. I couldn't imagine what was happening to Blaze right now. "The electrical system's all messed up. The canopy won't blow. The ejection seat's probably not working either."

"No!" Blaze cried.

"Don't give up, Chopper! Keep trying! Chopper!" Thunderhead roared.

"Heh heh… I'm going to miss that voice," Chopper chuckled. "I love you Blaze."

Chopper had laughed. He knew he was going to die… and he'd laughed.

"I-I love you Chopper," Blaze sobbed. I looked at Blaze's plane as she shot down towards the stadium.

_Don't torture yourself Blaze_. I thought. Then I saw Chopper's plane plummeting towards the stadium with a trail of thick, black smoke trailing behind him. I tried to shut my eyes, but I couldn't. They were frozen in shock at the sight of Chopper going down.

* * *

**Chopper**

My heart was racing, but I was strangely calm. I wasn't scared but I was nervous, if that makes sense. I wasn't going to go down without fighting. I kept pushing every single damn button in that plane. I pounded on the canopy. Nothing worked but I didn't give up. That's when I realized that my canopy had opened.

* * *

**Grimm**

Chopper's plane exploded into a malignant orange flame.

"CHOPPER!"Blaze screamed.

"Chopper!" Nagase cried.

"NO!" I shouted.

**Mission Update**

"… Dammit…" Thunderhead murmured. "I hate to say this now, but there's a second enemy wave approaching. All units, engage."

"Yes, sir," Nagase said, her voice cracking a little. Blaze was in so much shock she couldn't say anything.

"These guys are no demons! We can take them!" A Yuke declared.

"You. Wish," Blaze said menacingly. That was all I needed to hear. Blaze was out for revenge and she was going to make sure she got it.

"All right, engage the remaining enemy fighters," A Yuke ordered.

"Urrrgh!" I growled.

"Unngh!" Nagase whimpered, trying to stop herself from crying. I shot after an enemy plane but I was too late. Blaze was already there and it was already gone.

"What's going on? They're maneuvering even better than before?" A Yuke sounded confused as he asked the question.

"So this is what the demons are really like!" A Yuke observed. We could be so much worse…

"It's like they're different pilots. Did the demons take them over?" Another Yuke inquired, sounding fearful. He should be fearful with Blaze on the loose.

"You're the demons," Blaze said through gritted teeth. "If you didn't want _us_ to be demons, then you shouldn't have come and shot my fiancé down."

"We're no match for them after all!" A Yuke shouted as Blaze trailed him relentlessly. Blaze laughed… which shook me to my core. Blaze never laughed when she was shooting someone down… not like that… not like she had lost it… and this laugh sounded like someone who didn't care anymore, like someone who didn't care that whether she was going to live or not… like someone who had lost all their sanity. She sounded hollow, empty.

"Enemy reinforcements inbound. We should separate from the fight soon," A Yuke acknowledged.

Blaze zipped past me and Nagase and shot down the enemy we had been trailing with so much ease and grace and accuracy it was frightening.

**Mission Accomplished**

"… Wardog…" Thunderhead began. "Thanks for holding out for us. The reinforcements are here. Enemy planes retreating."

"It's too late," Blaze whispered raggedly. The three of us… god that sounded so weird… the three of us got into formation: Blaze in front, Nagase on the left, I on Blaze's right.

"We just got word from the ground…" Thunderhead explained. "Except for a few injuries in the confusion following the evacuation, there were no civilian casualties in the stadium. He… he was a model fighter pilot to the end. Join me in saluting Captain Davenport!"

A reinforcement plane flew at a high speed above us as we flew above the stadium in salute; we dipped our wings slightly as a sign of respect.

Blaze's plane wavered the whole way home, never once being completely still. When we reached the base, Blaze was last to land. Nagase was first, then me, then Blaze. We pulled up slowly to the hangar. Genette leaped out of Nagase's plane so he could run to Blaze's plane. He helped Nagase out first though. I could just see his eyes and how bloodshot they were from crying as he ran past me. Then I realized my face had dried up tears on it as well. I hadn't even known I had cried.

Blaze gripped the ladder tightly as she stepped down but the moment she set her foot on the ground, she collapsed. Genette caught her. I helped Cassie out of the plane. She was trembling. However, when I reached Blaze, I swear the earth was shaking from Blaze's tremulous, violent shaking. My whole body quaked just from supporting her. Genette and I held Blaze by her waist while we supported Nagase and Cassie as well, for they weren't faring that well either.

We entered the briefing room and sat down, exhausted. Blaze was hyperventilating so much that Dr. Gibson had to come and bring her to the infirmary to give her something so she wouldn't have a heart attack. Genette had to help and after giving Nagase a quick kiss, he helped Dr. Gibson with Blaze, who stumbled the whole way out of the briefing room. The briefer actually looked upset. I never thought he had any emotion in him at all.

"Vice President Appelrouth escaped from the stadium in his personal vehicle. Despite the late arrival of reinforcements, civilian casualties were kept to a bare minimum. The Yuktobanian fighters' ingress route is currently under investigation. Captain Alvin H. Davenport, who lost his life in the battle, is no longer with the team," The briefer said almost solemnly. I cringed while at the same time, I was furious. Of course Chopper wasn't with the team anymore! He was _dead_ for crying out loud! I swallowed the urge to shout at the briefer, at everyone in this room (excluding Nagase and Cassie) but I had to stay strong for Nagase and Cassie. I couldn't lose it in front of them. "He has been granted a posthumous two-rank promotion."

Nagase, Cassie, and I stood up. I wrapped my arms around their shoulders as we headed out of the briefing room. Both of them were crying on my shoulder. The people we passed in the hall moved to the side, allowing us to walk without any obstructions. All of them saluted us.

We headed to the infirmary to check on Blaze. When we got there, Blaze was unconscious. Genette was sitting in a chair next to her, tears falling down his face, but he wasn't crying. He smiled weakly at us when we came in.

"Hey y'all," He said quietly. The three of us pulled up chairs so we could sit down. "Dr. Gibson had to give her anesthesia she was so bad. He was worried she was going to have a heart attack."

We nodded.

"How long is she going to be out?" I inquired.

"For a while. He drugged her up pretty well," Genette replied with a grimace.

We sat there in silence. Nagase and Cassie were still crying quietly, Cassie crying my shoulder, Nagase crying on Genette's. Genette and I cried too. We had all lost our best friend. Blaze had it the worst. Not only had Chopper been her best friend, but he had also been her fiancé and seeing her unconscious because she had to be knocked out because of how bad she was taking his death showed the extent of her grief. I was worried about her. I was worried that she would become reclusive, depressed, and never come out of it.

No one understood what we had been through. We had watched our best friend die right before our eyes. You can't imagine what that's like. I had this empty feeling inside of me because I felt like it was my fault. I could've protected Chopper. He was my wingman; it was my job to protect him, Nagase, and Blaze. I failed all of them.

But for that time being, I pushed my guilt away because I had to be there for Cassie, for Nagase, for Genette, and especially for Blaze.

* * *

***Big Sigh* I absolutely hated writing this chapter. It sucked. I'm sorry but I'm saying that this chapter sucks. Mainly because my favorites character died :****(**


	20. Fortress

**I'm working like lightning to get this chapter done! Ugh, I can't believe I "killed" Chopper. That sucks! But I had to follow the story line of the game. Of course, I'm not saying whether or not he's alive after that little teaser with the canopy blowing open because I can't decide whether or not I'm going to make him be alive or not. It's up to y'all to decide :)**

**Alright, here's the next chapter.**

**Quote of the Chapter:  
**"**Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it's better to be ridiculous than absolutely boring."**

* * *

Chapter 20: Fortress

**Nagase**

**December 3, 2010…**

We were all sitting quietly in Blaze's room. She wasn't very talkative and if she did say something, it was quiet, short, and to the point. The fire in her eyes had died out ever since… that day…

"Have they told Chopper's family?" Cassie asked quietly. Cassie wasn't faring much better than Blaze, although I was one to talk seeing as how I had cried for three hours straight without so much as a bathroom break.

"Yeah, I called them," Genette replied solemnly.

"How'd they take it?" Grimm inquired.

"Melissa answered. She started bawling the moment I told her. She managed to ask me what happened so I told her… we hung up a few minutes later so she could go tell her parents." We just nodded in response. "She asked how Blaze was taking it… I told her not well."

Blaze didn't even glance at us the entire conversation. She was too busy fiddling with her necklace while looking out the window. A fierce knocking at the door didn't even faze her, which honestly was kind of frightening.

Genette stood up and went to answer the door. The Base Commander strode in pompously.

"Captain Blaze!" He barked. Blaze looked over at the commander before standing at attention.

"Yes sir!" She said weakly.

"I know you and Captain Davenport were close but this happens in war. Get over it! Suck it up!" Blaze looked like she had been slapped… but then I saw _it_ again. That little flame in her eyes appeared, the one she had always had before Chopper had died. Blaze's eyes narrowed in on the commander as she stopped standing at attention.

"You stand at attention when I'm here!" The Base Commander barked. Blaze didn't listen. Instead, she held her head up high, her eyes looking murderous. She stepped forward so that her face barely inches away from his.

"Don't you _ever_ tell me to suck it up again!" Blaze hissed. "Captain Davenport and I were _engaged_ and I know your pompous top brass ass doesn't know what love is, but let me give you a little lesson in it- you just don't get over your fiancé effing dying in two days. So my advice, get out of my way you bastard. And yeah, I frankly don't give a damn that you could kick me off of this base but I wouldn't advise doing it because I don't mean to sound conceited and all, but _we_ are the reason that all your insane missions have succeeded and we're the reason the ground forces are doing so well because their morale is high when we're above them. So go ahead, kick me off, but you're going to piss off a whole branch of the Osean army, not to mention you would ruin you '_precious_' reputation."

And with that, Blaze pushed past the astonished base commander and out the door, leaving all of us with our mouths hanging open, including the base commander's.

* * *

**Blaze**

I walked out of my room, trembling from anger. The _nerve_ of that effing base commander to tell me to _suck it up_! I'll suck it up when I want to! The only thing he loves is his donuts and cupcakes that he has a hidden stash of somewhere in his office. I remembered Chopper telling me that…

The thought of Chopper brought stinging tears to my eyes. I attempted to blink them back as I walked past other soldiers. They respectfully moved out my way. Of course, even if they had stayed in my way, they wouldn't have stayed there for long.

I mindlessly wandered around, having no set destination. I ended up in the hangar that Pops was usually in. I decided to talk to him, seeing as he was the only one who actually really knew the truth behind what I was going through.

"Pops?" I called out.

"Blaze? Is that you?" Pops responded in a muffled voice.

"Yes, sir, it's me!" I replied. Pops popped up from inside the plane he was working on.

"Hey Pops," I greeted tiredly.

"How you doing Blaze?" Pops inquired, stepping down the ladder.

"Umm, could be doing better. I'm probably going to be suspended or something," I chuckled weakly.

"Why?"

"I called the base commander an ass and a bastard… to his face," I admitted sheepishly. Much to my surprise, Pops laughed.

"Good for you! I didn't think anyone had the guts to tell him. You just proved me wrong," Pops announced.

"Lovely," I muttered. "Need any help?"

"Not that I can think of. What's wrong Blaze?"

"Everything," I mumbled. "It happened… the dream came true." Pops looked at me understandingly.

"I understand. If it's any help, I know what you're going through although not quite to your degree. See, in the Belkan War fifteen years ago, I had a dream that came true as well. It was catastrophic in the end. I met the Demon Lord on the way to my destination. I convinced him that I was on his side. He believed me. I don't know why because he shouldn't have but he did and because of him, I'm here," Pops explained. The mention of the Demon Lord sparked my interest on where Pops had come from. More importantly, it gave my mind something other to do than think about… _him_. I couldn't even think about him because then I would start bawling with no hope of stopping for hours.

"That's cool. I didn't know you and the Demon Lord knew each other," I replied.

"Yeah, well, that was a long time ago. I'm sure that if he's alive, he's forgotten who I am," Pops said with a half-hearted smile.

"You never know. Well, I'm going to go to my room."

"Alright. Take care Blaze." I waved goodbye to Pops before heading to my room. I heard the pitter-patter of feet behind me. Turning around, I saw Kirk, Pops' black Labrador retriever following closely behind me. I felt a little bit touched by the dog's gesture and for the first time in days, I smiled.

* * *

**Later that evening…**

**Genette**

Blaze had been practically impossible to find the whole day after telling the base commander off. She had even skipped dinner which made me nervous. Was she okay? I didn't know and it bugged me. So I decided to go looking for her. Everyone told me she just probably wanted to be alone but I wanted to check to make sure. I was her older brother after all.

My first instinct was that she was in her room, but when she wasn't there, I headed to the hangar where Pops worked. Blaze had always liked Pops for some reason. Hell, I liked him too because he was just easy to talk to.

Pops was staring at a trashed plane when I got to the hangar. It wasn't an Osean plane. I could tell by the colors. After studying the colors, I decided it was a Yuktobanian plane.

"Hey Pops," I said.

"Look at that wreckage," Pops replied. I did. "I'm amazed they're still making 'em like this."

"They?" I asked curiously, not sure of whom he meant.

"This looks like a standard fighter jet, but it's actually different. They've done a lot of things to reduce the number of parts without sacrificing the plane's strength and performance. Very cost effective. You could make three planes for the price of two this way," Pops explained grimly.

"Who's this 'they' you're referring to?" I was still unsure of whom Pops was talking about.

"North Osea Gründer Industries. Formerly the South Belka Munitions Factory run by the Belkan government," Pops replied, sounding disgusted when he said the 'Belkan Government.'

"But Osea's taken over that land now," I pointed out. "South Belka technology is being used for Osea. Why does Yuktobania have this?"

"Good question," Pops said, turning around to sit on the bench that was outside the hangar doors. "Actually, speaking of Belka… Osea recruited some Belkan flying aces after the war fifteen years ago to strengthen our Air Force. You know about this?"

"No… really?" It irked me I didn't know about this. I knew almost everything there was to know about the Osean military of each branch, mainly the Air Force seeing as how Blaze was in it and all. There was very little I didn't know.

"An aggressor squadron comprised entirely of Belkan aces. Our old enemy. Well, that's the rumor, anyway," Pops told me thoughtfully. Looking up at the sky, he continued. "Even an old fox like me isn't sure they exist. I bet the current administration isn't even aware of the story."

"They're idiots if they don't," I said. "How could they not know about that?"

"Another good question to which I don't have the answer to. How's Blaze doing?"

"Honestly, not that great. She lost it with the base commander today- called him a bastard and an ass to his face. I completely agree with her but I don't want her to get in trouble for it."

"She told me about that," Pops chuckled quietly. "He had it coming."

"She talked to you today?" I inquired curiously.

"Yep, Kirk followed her. I don't know when he came back but he followed her to wherever she was going and I guess came straight back here."

"I think I'd better go find her. I need to see if she's doing alright," I said. Waving goodbye to Pops, I left the hangar towards Blaze's room. She usually left her door unlocked and today was no exception. When I walked in, she wasn't there. I checked in Nagase's room- nothing. Same with Cassie's room and I even checked Grimm's room. No one on base had seen Blaze leave or enter her room. I started to feel a little frantic until the bright idea came to me that she might be in the room that she considered her other room ever since she had gotten engaged: Chopper's room.

I walked over to Chopper's room and as quietly as I could, opened the door. The door didn't creak at all thank god. I shut the door quietly before walking in. My idea had been right. Blaze was asleep on Chopper's bed, hugging Chopper's pillow tightly with her face buried into it. The small part of her face that I could see had tear stains streaked on. She was asleep, which was a good thing because she needed it after everything that had happened. Carefully, I grabbed a blanket from inside Chopper's closet and covered Blaze up with it as gently as I could so that I wouldn't wake her up. That was the last thing she needed.

* * *

**December 6, 2010…**

**Nagase**

I walked slowly to the briefing room, dreading the mission the closer I came to it. My feet became heavier every time I took a step towards the briefing room. Finally, I reached it, wanting with every part of my being to turn around and run out of there. Blaze wasn't there. That's when my mind started racing. What if Blaze had quit? What if Blaze couldn't take the pressure anymore? If Blaze wasn't our captain anymore, then who would be our captain? Why would Blaze quit?

My racing questions stopped when Blaze entered the room, flanked by Hamilton. Blaze sat down huffily next to me.

"Why the hell are we here?" Blaze grumbled, taking a seat next to me. I knew she knew why so I didn't say anything. Her hair was ruffled and she wore minimum makeup that seemed to consist of powder, mascara and eye shadow under the eyes to hide the dark circles under her eyes.

"Attention everybody!" The base commander shouted. Blaze stared at him with a lethal look. If looks could kill…

"The briefing is about to begin. Listen up! This is a critical mission for us!" The commander informed. He blatantly avoided looking at Blaze. After a few days ago, I couldn't really blame him. Hell, I was somewhat scared of her now. I had never seen Blaze lose control like that. Sure, Genette had told me a few times that Blaze has lost her temper, but I never believed him because she seemed so level-headed, collected. To see her lose it like that gave me a whole new perspective of my best friend. This was not someone you wanted to aggravate because you would most likely not win.

The briefer entered the room and we all hushed down, even Blaze who appeared to be quite irritated that she was required to be here.

"Before Osean ground forces can proceed into the Yuktobanian capital of Cinigrad, they'll have to deal with Cruik Fortress, directly in their path," The briefer explained. "The robust defense of this fortress has stalled the advance of our armies for the past five days. If this situation continues for much longer, it will give Yuktobania time to complete preparations for a counterattack. We need to take the fortress and enable our ground forces to reach the enemy capital as quickly as possible. To do this, we will launch an air attack on Cruik Fortress. Our last attack sortie fell prey to the anti-aircraft guns and air defense fighters. Deal a decisive blow to the fortress and its surrounding airpower, and support the ground forces as they penetrate the complex.

Operation: Doodlebug  
Location: Cruik Fortress  
Date: 2010/12/06  
Time: 0600 hours

The three of us got up and headed towards the hangar. Blaze was far ahead of me and Grimm. I could've sworn that when she left the briefing room, she was crying.

When Grimm and I reached the hangar, Blaze already had our planes picked out. She had chosen the SU-47 'Berkut' for herself. Why I wasn't sure because it was much better for air battles than ground battles. But, seeing how this was Blaze was choosing the planes, I'm sure she had a reason for choosing that plane.

"Nagase, Grimm, you're both taking the SU-32," Blaze ordered. The SU-32, a.k.a. Strike Flanker, was a phenomenal plane for ground battles. I think I realized Blaze's plan. While Grimm and I attacked the ground forces, Blaze would protect us by herself by shooting down enemy airplanes.

"Yes, ma'am," Grimm and I replied in unison.

"Don't call me ma'am. It makes me feel old," Blaze said with an irked expression. Grimm and I couldn't help but laugh a little. It felt good to laugh. Even Blaze cracked what might have been the beginning of a smile… but then the base commander walked in and the hope of a small smile vanished into the cool, humid air. Blaze got into her plane without acknowledging the base commander at all, which seemed to tick him off a little. However, if he wanted to say something, he held it back, probably because of the memory of her telling him off a few days ago perturbed him a bit.

We pulled out of the hangar (I think Blaze tried to run over the base commander in the process) towards the runway. We took off when the all-clear was given.

We were almost to Cruik Fortress and almost out of fuel. Thankfully, the people on base had predicted this so we had tanker plane waiting for us.

"Pilots, check your plane and prepare for refueling," The tanker plane captain said. Blaze went first since she was captain, then Grimm let me go saying that ladies went first, and lastly Grimm went.

The final hour of the flight was rather dull seeing as how we all wanted to get to the adrenaline-pumping part of the mission.

Finally, Cruik Fortress came into view in the horizon. The closer I got, the more the realization hit me that this thing was a monster. It was made of practically solid concrete with at least eight behemoth bunkers surrounding it. An extensive runway split the middle of the fortress in half. This thing was a monster. No wonder this was the third time we were attacking this… _thing_.

"King Cobra to Abel. Today, we're gonna do it," A ground unit announced confidently.

"This is Abel. Don't be stupid. Can't you see that wall in front of us?" Another ground unit responded. I could just see the guy rolling his eyes at his comrade.

"We're getting air support from Sand Island today," The ground unit King Cobra countered.

"Roger that. I'll tell everyone now!" Abel exclaimed excitedly. Blaze had been right (when is she ever wrong?). We were the pillar of morale for the Osean Army. How that had come to happen, I wasn't sure. I wondered how Blaze felt knowing that the ground forces depended on us so much.

"Lieutenant Colonel, the enemy sent this message to our armies," An Osean G informed.

"'This fortress will not be captured. Go back to your country.' Hmm…" The Lieutenant Colonel, Nelson, read aloud. "All right, then. Let's finish this up quick so we can get home to our families."

"Wardog, attack," Blaze commanded (I think it was more of a growl actually). None of us needed to be told twice. In a matter of seconds, Grimm and I were firing on pillboxes while Blaze took on enemy planes. In fact, she had already shot one down.

"Allied forces in the air, listen to me, if the ground forces are wiped out, this operation will fail!" Nelson warned. "We need you to place top priority in eliminating the threat to our ground forces. We're counting on you."

"No pressure. We only have a few hundred soldiers counting on us to help conquer this whopper of a fortress. Sheesh, and I thought the one on the coast was bad. What was I on back then?" Blaze muttered.

"Blaze, are you okay?" Grimm asked cautiously.

"Oh I'm just peachy," Blaze retorted.

"Uh, okay then. I just won't say anything to you for a while," Grimm replied. I considered that a pretty smart move on his part.

"You know the Sand Island Squadron above us? Supposedly, they're the Razgriz we keep hearing about," An Osean G announced. I avoided the gunfire being directed at me from a pillbox I was targeting. Firing two missiles, I destroyed the pillbox in one swift swoop.

"Are we seriously being called the Razgriz?" Blaze wondered thoughtfully aloud.

"We certainly are. Only thanks to our amazing captain," Grimm complimented as he dove down, shooting at a pillbox.

"Thanks Grimm, but I'm not all that amazing," Blaze replied softly.

"Oh yes you are," I chided.

"Even up against just two of you, I can't freaking win this argument," Blaze sighed.

After that last radio transmission, Blaze shot past me, firing at the control tower at the front of the fortress. She was contradicting herself by saying that she wasn't that good of a captain as she shot at the control tower from an impossible angle and succeeding in destroying it.

"And you say you're not good," I said.

"What? I'm not near as good as you think," Blaze answered solemnly.

"Why do you keep saying that? You're not amazing, you're phenomenal!" Grimm pointed out exasperatedly.

"We're one member short…" Blaze whispered.

Well, hell… Of course. How could I be so stupid? Of course she was saying she wasn't amazing because she believes that she's the reason Chopper is dead. Grimm swore quietly, something to do with him being a stupid idiot for not realizing why Blaze was upset.

"Listen, y'all keep firing at the defense at the front of the fortress. I'm going to try and take care of these bunkers surrounding the area," Blaze informed in a somewhat shaky voice.

I turned my head to find Blaze. She headed towards the bunkers alright… after flying into the aperture that was the entrance of the fortress… which her plane barely fit through.

"Blaze? Did you seriously just fly through that entrance?" I inquired.

"Yes, ma'am, I did," Blaze chirped. Wow, her mood swings were off. First she was happy, then she was about to cry, then she was making me feel old by calling me ma'am (she had actually been right about that… as always).

"Don't call me ma'am. It makes me feel old coming from you," I snapped lightly.

"I told you so," Blaze pointed out. I rolled my eyes.

"I saw that," Blaze said.

"Saw what?" I questioned, having no clue what she meant as I fired at a pillbox. Grimm backed me up, firing at the pillbox with me.

"You rolling your eyes," Blaze told me in a tone that told me I should've known that.

"What are you? Psychic?" I asked.

"Possibly," Blaze chuckled. She flew over me and Grimm at a miraculous speed towards the bunkers on the east side of the fortress.

"Radio intercept team, does the enemy have something hidden up their sleeves?" A Yuke queried in a dire voice.

"They always have something up their sleeve," Another Yuke responded in a muffled voice.

"Our air support's from Sand Island, so don't worry about a thing," An Osean assured. Did they really have that much faith in us?

"I'm sick of looking at this place, but after today, I won't have to," Another Osean declared. What made him so sure?

"This is the final obstacle before the enemy's capital city," I said in a neutral tone, trying to keep out the worry in my voice.

"Meaning it's going to be a living hell trying to take this sucker down," Blaze added.

"Yeah, pretty much," I agreed, shooting at the other control tower at the entrance of the fortress.

"I see it. 'The Coliseum' is still in operation," An Osean soldier pronounced.

"This is the third attempt. Remember, there will be no fourth time!" Another Osean warned. Okay, I had to admit, that was some pretty rough motivation. Good, but rough.

Grimm and I attacked two different bunkers flanking the entrance of the fortress. Blaze was taking on the bigger bunkers all by herself. That made me think that Chopper would be pissed if he knew that Grimm and I were letting Blaze fight by herself. Then again, Blaze wouldn't want anyone but Chopper backing her up. They knew what the other was going to do without saying anything. They were always in perfect synchronization flying together. But what if Chopper was going to haunt me and Grimm for not protecting Blaze? And where the hell am I going in my head with this argument? Ugh, my brain needs to shut down for a while… or at least the thinking part so I won't have an argument with myself about whether or not I should protect Blaze lest Chopper's ghost comes to haunt me out of anger. Personally, Chopper's ghost is scary itself, but having it ticked off… you know what, forget it. I'm decided to help Blaze whether she liked it or not because the prospect of Chopper's ghost was scarier than Blaze telling me she was okay.

And I really need to shut up now…

"Grimm, I'm going to help out Blaze," I said, flying off towards Blaze's plane in the distance.

"Wilco," Grimm said. I waited for Chopper to yell at Grimm for saying "Wilco," but it never came. Apparently, Grimm had been waiting for it too because he started to ask Chopper why he wasn't yelling at him, but then the awareness that Chopper wasn't here anymore struck him hard.

"Enemy ground forces advancing," A Yuke informed gravely.

"Another large-scale offensive. This is the third time," Another Yuke added.

"Well, we Oseans don't like to be accused for something we didn't do," Blaze pointed out. I flew up next to her and together, we destroyed one of the many monstrous bunkers.

"Our tread's been blown off! We can't maneuver!" An Osean shouted.

"King Cobra, get out while we can still provide cover," An Osean unit responded immediately.

"Wisna ready for takeoff. Remaining aircraft will follow shortly," A Yuke squadron leader said.

"Nagase, if we can shoot enough airplanes on the runway, then we can block part of it," Blaze informed. It was brilliant.

"Got it," I said. Blaze and I turned our planes around to face the runway. A plane was already taking off when we got there. Blaze fired instantly, hitting the plane in the right engine. It plummeted towards the ground.

"If we break through here, the capital's just ahead!" An Osean yelled gleefully. They seemed so ecstatic about this mission even when I myself thought this was a complete suicide mission.

"We'll eliminate the threat near the gate with the help of Sand Island," Another ally said. Geez, could they not have so much faith in us? It was bad enough with our own obligation of feeling like we couldn't fail these people.

"Sorry, no visitors allowed. Run along home, now," A Yuke said sarcastically.

"Sorry, but we're not visitors. And this is going to be our home when we're through with it," Blaze retorted.

"Damage report, Puff Adder and Mamba team have been annihilated. Remaining forces at seventy percent," An Osean notified everyone.

"Like hell they're going to kick our ass," Blaze growled as she dove towards a bunker again.

"I can't believe we have to capture a fortress this huge!" Grimm exclaimed.

"No kidding. And to think we thought that the fortress in I think our ninth mission was hard. It has nothing on this mother," Blaze said.

"Allied planes overhead, this is the Ferdelance Armored Brigade. Requesting orders to penetrate the fortress!" An Osean inquired with respect.

"Yes, enter the fortress," Blaze replied, shooting at a SAM on top of one of the bunkers.

"All right, roger that. Air support is with us! All Ferdelance units, forward!"

Blaze, Grimm, and I regrouped. We headed towards the enemies lining up at the entrance inside the fortress.

"HQ to First Platoon, move forward!" An Osean shouted.

**MISSION UPDATE**

"Here they come. I've been waiting for this," An Osean snarled.

"That makes two of us," Blaze agreed.

"Hell," I muttered as an enemy plane got behind me… or at least I thought I saw an enemy plane behind me.

"Enemy's off you back," Blaze told me. So that's what had happened to it. Well that makes sense why I _thought_ I had seen a plane. I _had_ seen one but Blaze kicked its annoying ass and shot it down before I could even ask for help.

"HQ, we've broken through the southern fortress wall!" An Osean G shouted delightfully. This was the hard part- getting the forces through the fortress without failing the mission.

"Captain, it's up to you to prioritize the targets for this attack," I reminded.

"Roger. Wardog, attack the enemy formations posted at the southern exit and protect our troops," Blaze commanded.

"Got it," Grimm said.

"First barrier cleared! Wow, in record time, too!" A soldier shouted, laughing. "Take that you Yukes!"

"That's a tongue twister for you," Grimm chuckled.

Grimm and I split up and came at the enemy formation waiting for our troops inside the fortress from different directions while Blaze game parallel to them. It was something that Blaze called the 'Three Sisters' after she watched a show about how there's this wave that comes at a ship from three different directions. Leave it to Blaze to make an example from Mother Nature into a battle strategy.

"They have a great view on all sides from here. They can target us no matter where we are," An Osean soldier cautioned.

Blaze, Grimm and I fired simultaneously at the enemy positions. In total, there were six enemies waiting: four tanks and two AA guns. After our first wave of attack, there were simply two enemy tanks to deal with. Blaze took care of those while Grimm started flying around attacking other enemy ground forces.

"This fortress has turned out to be full of surprises!" A soldier exclaimed. Yeah, no kidding…

"Keep your takeoff roll short. Begin launch!" A Yuke commanded. "Climb as steep as you can the moment you're airborne. Use max throttle!"

"We'll get shot down before we even make it up!" A Yuke responded angrily with a hint of fear.

"This is the only way. You've got to carry out your mission!" The Yuke wrangled.

"Enemy planes taking off from fortress runway!" Grimm alerted. "They're sending reinforcements to launch a counterattack!"

"Nagase, Grimm, keep taking out the ground forces. I'm going to try and shoot down some enemy planes taking off from the runway to block it," Blaze instructed. We had abandoned our last attempt at blocking the runway because the ground forces were more important.

"Roger," Grimm and I responded at the same time.

"Hey, y'all. Do you really think the base commander has donuts stashed somewhere in his office?" Blaze asked out of the blue.

"Well, looking at the factors that he hardly ever comes out of his office and he's not very athletic to put it nicely, yes, I do believe so," Grimm laughed.

"Where did that randomness come from?" I asked amusedly.

"I don't know; I just started thinking about it," Blaze replied simply. Huh, talk about bipolar.

I headed towards a SAM that was making its way over towards where Blaze was. Blaze probably knew it was there but if she did, she didn't act like it because she kept flying straight over it, giving it perfect aim every single time and each time, the thing never fired.

"This is Wisna One… commence attack."

"Targeting the Razgriz and the enemy strike craft," A female Yuke said. Wow! So the Yukes weren't sexist jerks and actually had women on the force? Shocking!

"Lure them over here. We'll attack from both sides," A Yuke snarled.

"Agh! Whoa! This guy's good!" Grim yelped in surprise. Blaze shot past me at speed's I didn't even think her plane was possible of reaching. In a matter of seconds, Blaze was behind the enemy plane trailing Grimm. She got dangerously close to the enemy plane. It realized she was behind them and retreated from trailing Grimm. If they thought Blaze was going to let up, they were gravely mistaken. Blaze tracked them like a hound after a fox. She wouldn't let them out of her sight. I swear she was barely a foot away from the plane. Blaze fired two missiles before shooting up into the sky, avoiding the mid-air collision. It was an astounding achievement that shouldn't have been possible with how close Blaze had been to that enemy plane.

"Yeehaw! Bandit's off your tail Grimm!" Blaze whooped.

"Thanks Blaze," Grimm sighed in relief.

"No problem. I'm not losing any more of my wingmen!" Blaze declared.

"I believe you without a doubt," I assured her.

"Thanks Nagase," Blaze answered quietly. Her mind must be going back to how she lost Chopper. That girl was seriously devastated. Happy, sad, mad, ecstatic, mad, confident, upset- this was some emotional rollercoaster.

"They made it in, but it's even worse inside!" Grimm pointed out. I fired at a SAM that was about to fire at Blaze. It had been the one that she had been teasing constantly earlier. I guess it _finally_ got ticked off enough to realize it should fire at her. I fired a missile at the SAM which quite promptly blew it up. Of course, then I had to evade because another SAM had appeared and started firing at me. I started wondering how many ground defenses they had. It had to be a massive number considering how many AA guns, SAMs, and tanks I saw in the ground.

"Defense network destroyed! Dammit, these guys are unstoppable!" A Yuke yelled in frustration.

"Damn right we are!" Blaze laughed. "That's what you get for starting a war with us when we did nothing wrong! I swear to god there's something else going on here."

"Like what?" I inquired, intrigued.

"I feel like there's another force behind this whole war. I mean, why would Yuktobania declare war on us when we're they're biggest ally?"

I could see Blaze's point and I had to admit that I had wondered the same thing a few times.

* * *

**Hamilton**

I listened to the fight over the radio. The things the Wardog Squadron said over the radio was shocking, for example, the base commander and his donuts? Only they would have the guts to say something like that.

That, however, wasn't what caught my attention. It was how Blaze thought that there was another force behind this whole war. The more I thought about it, the more obvious it seemed that there was an actual force behind this whole war. I had to stop this.

* * *

**Nagase**

"Can't we load any faster?" An Osean soldier asked exasperatedly.

"We're taking sniper fire!" Another soldier cried. I could tell he was rolling under something or jumping to avoid something with the way his voice had pitched up.

"Where's that coming from?! Check the direction!" A soldier shouted in response.

"Engine damage! Get out!" An Osean captain ordered frantically. Over the radio, I heard the explosion of a tank. I cringed, hoping no one had been in it.

"Good, the minefield's slowed them down," A Yuke cheered.

"Like hell we're letting the Yukes win again! Nagase, Grimm, attack enemies closest to our ground forces. I'm taking out the air defense!" Blaze said. How many times has she said that?

"You're going to take them all out by yourself?" I questioned.

"You bet I am," Blaze replied.

"Blaze, has it ever occurred to you that it's you versus about ten planes?" Grimm laughed.

"Yeah, and?" Blaze countered.

"Why do I even try and argue with you?" Grimm chuckled.

"Because I'm an insane fighter pilot who fights ten planes by herself without allowing her wingmen to help her out?" Blaze chirped. I found myself laughing along with Blaze and Grimm. It felt good to laugh after the week we had had.

"So, I have a question," Blaze told us thoughtfully.

"Yeah?" I asked as I fired two missiles at two separate AA guns.

"Is it true that when the Pillsbury doughboy bends over, you see doughnuts?" Blaze asked innocently. Grimm started howling with laughter along with me. Leave it to Blaze to ask a question like that.

"Why do you ask?" Grimm asked between laughs.

"I was just wondering," Blaze giggled.

It took us around five minutes to stop laughing because when one of us stopped laughing, another one of us would start giggling, sending you back into a hysterical laughing fit.

"So where's Thunderhead? He's unusually quiet," Blaze commented while she shot down her third plane. She had seven more to go. Blaze had six on her tail while she was chasing one of them.

"Yeah, where is that nuisance?" Grimm wondered aloud, abandoning his ground targets and going to help out Blaze with the enemy planes trailing after her.

"If he's a nuisance, then why are we wondering where he is?" I remarked.

"Touché," Blaze laughed.

"Watch out for enemy air attack," A Yuke ground force warned.

"They're in trouble. I can see everything from up here," Grimm said grimly… haha, Grimm said grimly. That's fun to say. "Nagase, why are you laughing?"

"What?" I was completely confused.

"You're laughing. Why?" Grimm repeated.

"Crap, I was laughing aloud wasn't I? Well, I thought that the way you said your comment was rather grim, Grimm," I giggled.

"Oh god," Grimm muttered. "You're as bad as Chopper with your jokes."

"What? You're saying I'm not funny?" I countered while I evaded a missile sent for by an AA gun.

"I'm not saying you're not funny, I'm just saying Chopper was funnier," Grimm retorted.

"No one is as funny as Chopper," Blaze pointed out.

"Amen," I agreed. Blaze went into a rolling dive after an enemy plane that was headed towards the ground. Firing two missiles, she hit the plane with ease and pulled out of her kamikaze dive.

"Blaze, you're a psychotic flyer. Did you know that?" I laughed.

"Proud of it!" Blaze exclaimed.

"You would say that." I rolled my eyes.

"I need troops over here. Prepare the anti-tank for battle," A Yuke G shouted. He should be focusing on us, not the ground troops because we were the ones wreaking havoc on the place. "Prepare to launch! Hurry, we don't have much time!"

"There's a firefight over the runway. It's too dangerous to take off," A Yuke warned.

"You're welcome!" Blaze said amusedly.

"The air defense team will cover you while you take off," A Yuke tried to assure.

"No, they won't. They're not there. They made the mistake of coming after Osean ground forces," Blaze said bluntly.

"Blaze, can they hear you?" Grimm queried, rolling to the left to get behind an enemy plane.

"I don't know. Whether they can or not, I don't care. It still feels good to point out that their defenses are gone," Blaze admitted simply.

Blaze and I flew side by side with each other as we took on an enemy formation coming from the east.

"This is Tarantula. We're halfway through the fortress!" An Osean G boasted.

"If things keep going like this, we just might pull it off this time," Nelson acknowledged.

Blaze and I fired two missiles at the two enemy planes headed for us. They hit the planes without any difficulty.

I looked down to see where some enemy tanks were so that I could destroy the SOBs. They were exiting out of the fortress.

"Enemy tanks advancing out of fortress gate!" I announced.

"Damn…" Blaze muttered, heading down towards the retreating enemy tanks.

"Not even the Razgriz would be able to dodge these missiles," A Yuke bragged. A missile appeared out of nowhere, heading straight for Blaze. Blaze simply headed towards the ground at breakneck speed. If she didn't pull up soon, she was going to crash… I hoped she wasn't so depressed that that was her intentions.

"Blaze!" I shouted. Blaze pulled up so quickly, the missile lost its tracking on her and exploded into the ground, taking a few enemy tanks with it. "Dammit, Blaze, stop scaring the hell out of me!"

"Sorry Nagase," Blaze apologized sheepishly. "Didn't mean to scare you."

"You take the lead. All right, now!" An Osean G yelled.

"Our ground forces are inferior. They might just overrun us this time…" A Yuke said solemnly, almost making me feel bad for them. Then I thought of Chopper, and my sympathetic feeling disappeared.

"It's them! They're back again!" A Yuke screamed. He screamed like a little girl.

"Blaaaaze," I warned. She was at her kamikaze flying stunts again. She did a loop, started doing a corkscrew as she headed down towards the ground (and in the process destroyed two enemy ground defenses), leveled out, and then fired her guns at an enemy plane.

"Their attacks are so deadly it's frightening. I can see how they'd be like demons to the enemy," An Osean soldier observed.

"I'm just glad they're on our side," Another soldier said.

"Amen," The first Osean soldier replied.

I trailed Blaze to unprecedented heights. I pulled out, afraid my plane would stall. Blaze however, kept on going. I was fast approaching three enemy airplanes. One was shot down by Grimm who had been following them. I shot another down with two missiles.

"Captain, you stalled! Are you all right?!" Grimm asked worriedly.

"I'm fine. All part of the strategy," Blaze answered assuredly.

"Grimm, she's all right physically. Mentally, I beg to differ," I joked.

"You have nooo idea," Blaze agreed as she flipped her plane in a steep turn before plummeting down towards the ground from almost thirty-thousand feet. The enemy plane that had been trailing was shot down as she shot towards the ground. Blaze was going supersonic now. She pulled up with a little difficulty, the opposition from the air causing her some trouble. But Blaze being Blaze still made it look easy and graceful. That girl…

"Attack the remaining enemy forces," Blaze ordered.

"Commencing full fire!" I announced.

"Enemy tank at your rear! Turn around! Go, go!" An Osean soldier shouted.

"Max speed! Give me everything you've got!" Another Osean soldier shouted.

"We can't go any faster than this!" An Osean soldier responded in an aggravated tone.

"Come on Osea! We can do this!" Blaze encouraged. I could hear the excitement in her tone, the tone she used when she knew we were going to win. It was also the tone whenever she talked about marrying Chopper. It was the 'I'm-going-to-giggle-because-I'm-a-girl-with-a-hig h-school-crush' tone that made people around her feel the same way.

"Looks like we'll be able to enjoy the New Year with our families… thanks to Sand Island," Nelson said kindly. I was rather touched by the thanks, mainly because Nelson was one tough SOB and to actually hear him say thank you shocked me into realizing that even the top brass can have manners… although most like to belittle you… or try to in our case since no matter what the base commander does to us, Blaze always seems to scare the shitake without the 'ake' out of him… god, now Blaze has me saying what she says. The shitake without the 'ake' part, I mean.

I flew under the runway as I evaded an enemy plane after me. I heard the missile crash into the runway. Maybe if I kept doing that, the runway would collapse, preventing more enemy planes from coming up. Of course, knowing my luck, the runway would collapse on me.

"HQ, we're at the northern fortress wall. We're breaking through!" The Osean soldier cheered. I could hear cheers from compatriots in the background in agreement. That fueled my already burning passion to get these ground forces through. This was the final obstacle that we had to overcome before we reached the capital city Cinigrad.

"At this rate, we'll be able to make up for all that lost time," Nelson acknowledged.

"This is Ferdelance. We're at the fortress wall. Should we go outside? Please advise!" The Ferdelance commander asked.

"Yes, get out there now!" Blaze commanded.

"Roger, we'll break down the gate. Thanks for your instructions from above. Good luck!"

"Bonne Chance!" Blaze replied cheerfully. I hadn't heard her so happy in a while. It was good to hear that she hadn't gone completely depressed. She still had it in her to sound happy and I say sound happy because I knew Blaze like the back of my hand. She had been faking the cheerfulness, but I had to admit, she pulled it off pretty well.

"Blaze, you will never fail to stump me," Grimm laughed.

"What did I do _now_?" Blaze asked.

"You spoke French. I didn't even know you _spoke_ French," Grimm replied.

"Oh, well, now you do," Blaze said.

"Bust through here like you're gonna run all the way to Cinigrad!" An Osean soldier encouraged.

"That's the spirit!" Blaze cheered as she fired missiles at enemy targets.

"We'll push them back all the way to Oured!" A Yuke fired.

"You wish," Blaze snarled, firing more missiles at enemy ground forces. Grimm and I flew to the outside part of the northern wall where the enemy was gathering to put a final stop to our army.

"Dammit, it's over! Our army's completely fallen apart!" A Yuke yelled angrily.

"Don't give me that! Beat Osea to the ground!" Another Yuke sneered.

"Nagase, Grimm, keep attacking the enemy ground forces. I'm going to destroy any facilities still in operation in the fortress," Blaze informed.

"Got it," I said.

"Those guys are gonna blow the entire fortress away," An Osean commented, sounding impressed.

"Help up! It's the Razgriz!" A Yuke cried. A twinge of regret shot through me. I hated killing people and with the way Blaze, Grimm, and I flew, there would be only an iota of survivors.

"Hang in there. We can still win this!" Another Yuke tried to reassure.

Blaze fired missile after missile at the control towers on the outside of the northern wall, destroying them all by herself. This was a miracle that we had overcome the 'impregnable fortress.' It was unheard of having a fortress of this size falling in half a day.

"Move forward! Disregard any damage!" An Osean soldier commanded.

"There's no place to run for us. Defend this area to the death," A Yuke growled.

_Defend to the death…_

The words echoed through my brain. I hated war, I hated it, but I fought for my country. There was no way I was going to back out now when we were so close to winning, nor was I going to let Yuktobania attack Osea again.

"Get the Razgriz over here now! Our lives are depending on them!" An Osean soldier shouted. I turned my plane in response to the transmission. Blaze was already down there, firing left and right at enemy forces. I felt bad for any enemy that felt Blaze's wrath. She blamed them for Chopper's death, and that meant she was out for blood.

"Please let us make it in time!" Grimm prayed.

"I've heard of the 'Four Wings of Sand Island'… but I only see three," An Osean observed. I heard Blaze let out a shaky sigh. Why did they have to bring up the 'Four Wings of Sand Island'?

"Don't you know?" Another Osean asked. "Only good little boys can see the fourth one."

I heard Blaze laugh a little.

"Concentrate your attack on the areas of least resistance," An Osean soldier suggested.

I started trailing an enemy plane that kept pulling a Houdini on me and had kept disappearing every single time I tried to go after it. It went up and so did I. It went left, I went left. It couldn't and wouldn't shake me. Getting a perfect missile lock, I fired at the enemy plane. Bullseye! Right in the center!

"Those guys can attack from any position! Don't let your guard down," A Yuke fighter warned.

"All right, come on! Keep going!" Grimm urged while he destroyed two enemy tanks at one time.

"Nice shot Grimm," Blaze praised.

"Thank you."

"These guys are even better than I imagined!" A Yuke admitted.

"Well we don't call them the freaking Razgriz for nothing!" Another Yuke shot back.

"Suckers!" Blaze laughed.

"These pilots are good! They've got some sharp moves!" I pointed out.

"We've got better," Blaze countered. She was right. I pulled into a harrowing sharp turn, making the enemy plane lose its trail on me. I raced behind it and fired the second I got missile lock on it.

"Continued resistance! I can't believe they're still holding up," I said.

"You only have three planes to deal with. No need to panic," A Yuke assured.

"Is it just me, or is this guy out of the loop?" Blaze inquired.

"He's way out of the loop. Hasn't he heard his comrades calling us the Razgriz for the last, what? Fifteen minutes?" Grimm added.

"The Yukes have some major idiots," I chuckled.

Blaze, Grimm and I destroyed the remaining ground forces outside the northern part of the fortress, ending the mission.

**MISSION ACCOMPLISHED**

"We made it! Northern fortress wall waken down! We skewered them!" An Osean soldier shouted in delight.

"Yes!" Blaze cried in excitement.

"Excellent!" Nelson agreed. "Hey, send a message back to the enemy! 'This fortress has been successfully captured. We're going back to our country real soon.'"

I could hear the soldiers chanting "Osea! Osea! Osea!" over the mic. Blaze was cheering with them. In fact, the mood was so ecstatic, it was hard not to join in. I started chanting along with them, and so did Grimm.

* * *

**Genette**

The so-called "impregnable" fortress fell in half a day, and the momentum of the Osean Army had reached a peak. Its final stronghold lost, the Yuktobanian Army was setting up a barricade in the urban area up ahead. The next battle could see a lot of bloodshed, with innocent civilians caught in the crossfire.

However, the men and officers of the Osean Army were optimistic. They thought, as long as the three fighters from Sand Island were taking part in the action, things would turn out all right.

They have become the center of the Army's strength now.

_They_ were the reason Osea was winning.

* * *

**Osean Soldier**

The Sand Island Squadron landed briefly to refuel. Only Nelson and the superiors who knew how to refuel a plane actually got to meet them.

All the soldiers, after we replaced the Yuktobanian flag with the Osean flag, stood in silence as we stared in awe at the Sand Island Squadron taking off from the runway. It would be a dream to meet the squadron responsible for so many victorious missions. They were the reason Osea had made it this far.

* * *

**Okey doke, so that's the first part of the eighteenth chapter. Part two will be up soon (hopefully). Hope y'all enjoyed it. I can't believe I'm this far into the story! It's almost halfway done! Sheesh, where does the time fly? No pun intended (you know, time flies? And this is a story about fighter pilots? No? Okay then…)**


	21. 8492

**Wow, long time no see… or write in this case. I know I say that I've been busy a lot but it's true! AP Euro is kicking my butt and I made a C on my last test which I'm not too happy about, making me be in kind of a testy mood. Get it? Testy mood? Haha, ooh I crack myself up. Sorry, I'm sick and it's messing with my blonde brain. Of course, crashing head first into a wall last weekend probably wasn't the best either… anyways, hope y'all like the chapter!**

**Quote of the Chapter:  
**"**On your knees you look up, decide you've had enough. You get mad, you get strong, wipe your hands, shake it off, then you stand."  
****~ Rascal Flatts**

* * *

Chapter 21: 8492

**December 6, 2010, Vladimir Mountains, 1609hrs…**

**Grimm**

The three of us flew lazily home over the snowcapped peaks of the Vladimir Mountains, exhausted from our previous mission. I'm pretty sure Blaze put her plane on auto-pilot and napped a little bit. I honestly couldn't blame her after everything that happened.

"Have you ever seen a fortress that huge?" I asked, not able to take the monotonous silence anymore.

"Only on TV shows and I didn't believe that they could make fortresses that big. I stand corrected now," Nagase replied.

"If I'm correct, overall, it took them two years to complete it although it was in operation after barely six months," Nagase explained. "It was one of the fortresses on that show I watched."

"I see. So now what? Are we going to help them invade Cinigrad or are we going to let our ground forces do it themselves?"

"They're going to have us help capture it because we'll only be getting one shot at this. If we fail the first time, they'll have time to regain one of their fortresses back by the time we have a strike force ready. And, with our track record, they'll definitely want us out on the front lines," Blaze answered solemnly. It was the first time she had spoken the whole trip back to base. It kind of shocked me to hear her but her point was made. In fact, I had thought about what she said before she said it and the only reason I asked the question was to see what my comrades thought. Apparently, Blaze had thought the same thing.

"Wardog Squadron, this is Thunderhead. Fly to the tanker for refueling," Thunderhead ordered. "There's an allied squadron to the east of your position. They'll guide you to the tanker for air refueling. Good work people."

"Will this war just freaking end?" Blaze grumbled.

"We're one step away from the enemy's capital. We can win this as long as you're with us. I can feel it," Thunderhead said confidently.

"Wow, a compliment from Thunderhead. Who knew he was capable of it?" Blaze chuckled humorlessly, probably remembering the time Chopper said something almost exactly like that.

"Those enemy pilots we fought today… I can't imagine what it would be like to fly with them in peacetime," Nagase wondered aloud.

"Yeah," I agreed.

"Wardog, this is the 8492nd Squadron. Can you see us? It'll be an honor to escort you heroes. Let's go home," the allied squadron said. I sighed as I heard a friendly voice that wasn't barking orders or yelling at us to get our asses on the move. And, for once, we were being treated with respect after the disaster a few missions ago when we were accused of attacking civilians.

"Roger 8492. Thank you for your escort," Blaze replied. The way she replied was in a manner that gave me the impression that she was trying to give off the impression that we were superior to them. I wondered vaguely why, although, my mind was mainly on Chopper.

"I wonder when we'll be sent to attack Cinigrad," Nagase said.

"…Yeah," I agreed. "But I'm still wondering what Captain Chopper was doing when…"

I never finished my sentence because at that moment, my missile alert went off. I pulled into a steep incline to evade the missiles. They shot past me.

"What the hell is going on?!" Blaze growled.

"Enemy ECM!... Wait a second. That escort plane… oh, no!" I exclaimed as I had an epiphany. I knew something had struck me as odd when I heard the name 8492 but I couldn't place it.

"The 8492nd Squadron doesn't exist!" Nagase announced gravely. Of course! But where had I met them before? I _knew_ I had met them before but where it had been was escaping me.

"Dammit…" Blaze muttered. She shot past me and headed for an enemy jammer. God, how I hate those things. She fired two missiles at it to be sure that it got shot down. Both of her missiles hit the plane, making it fall in a fiery mass towards the ground.

**MISSION UPDATE**

"Someone in the Army's trying to lead us into a trap! Just like back at the stadium…" I added almost as an afterthought because the thought itself scared me. The trap at the stadium had cost us one of our friend's lives. I couldn't stand it if it happened again.

"Like back at the stadium…" Blaze murmured.

_Oh no, please not now Blaze! Don't lose it now!_ I thought frantically.

Nagase and I flew around in maniacal paths to stop the enemies from getting a lock on us but it seemed like every two seconds, I had my missile alert going off.

"Thunderhead! Thunderhead, respond!" Nagase begged.

"Multiple unmarked fighters inbound!... Hey! Is that their voice on the radio?" I inquired as I heard a man's voice that definitely didn't belong to anyone in our squadron seeing as how I was the only guy.

"You must destroy them. We can't let them end this war," The harsh voice barked.

"We're just getting started," Blaze snarled. Her tone, even though she wasn't talking to me, scared me.

Unlike me and Nagase, Blaze was managing just fine on her own (as usual) as she trailed an enemy fighter in such a mercurial flight path I was amazed neither of them crashed into the snowy mountains below. Blaze fired a missile at the enemy plane, hitting it dead center in its engine. The plane exploded in midair.

"Roger! We'll surround them and attack from all directions," The enemy replied, apparently not having heard Blaze's threat.

I got behind an enemy plane just as it was about to fire a missile at Blaze. It rolled to the left and so did I. I followed it relentlessly until I got a good missile lock on it. I fired before it could evade and I shot it down.

"The 8492nd Squadron aren't Yuktobanian spies?!" Nagase questioned.

"8492, 8492, 8492… I, I know I've heard that somewhere before…" I pondered aloud. I thought carefully about the time that we went to Oured because of the accusation that we attacked civilians. It was at the courthouse that we were told the 8492nd Squadron didn't exist but I knew for a fact that they had called themselves our allies. Then, two missions before that when we rescued that President… "That's right, when we were helping the President's emergency landing, it was the 8492nd who took our place!"

"Yeah… you're right," Nagase acknowledged.

"They got the President, too… so that's what escalated the war?" I queried as I dodged a missile headed for me at my six.

"Yes! This all makes sense now!" Blaze answered ecstatically.

"What do you mean?" I questioned.

"Our President would never enter a full-blown war like this. He's more of a negotiating person. That's what he was off to do when we helped in his emergency landing. Without our President, the Vice President is making all the decisions and the citizens of Osea aren't happy with that. Belka can see that and so they're going to take advantage when we're weakest and invading Osea!" Blaze informed ardently.

"Belka's behind all this! The country that was defeated fifteen years ago!" Nagase added.

"We've got to tell people about this! But how? We're completely surrounded!" I pointed out.

"So we'll break through!" Nagase suggested.

"I'm breaking through their curtain!" I shouted as I raced off towards the east. Nagase was with me. It was a few seconds before we realized that Blaze wasn't with us.

"Captain, penetrate their barrier CAP and head east!" Nagase ordered. There was silence on the radio and for a split second, I feared that Blaze had been shot down.

Then, "… No."

That one word sent chills down my spine. How could Blaze say no? Did she want a death wish?

"Wh- what?" Nagase stammered.

"I'm not running," Blaze declared defiantly. I saw her on my radar chasing after an enemy plane. Even on my radar she was lightning fast.

"Captain, you have to escape!" I exclaimed worriedly.

"No! These bastards are the reason that Chopper's dead!" Blaze cried. "I'm not leaving this area until every single one of those sons of bitches is shot down!"

I had never heard Blaze so fervent. So she did want a death wish… but not for herself. She wanted it for the enemy's planes that swarmed around us like flies. Blaze wanted justice, revenge… and blood.

"We're not going to let you fight alone," I declared, jerking my plane around to fight alongside with Blaze. Nagase followed and together, we joined Blaze in a battle for blood. It felt like it was us against the world considering how for every one of our planes, there were four or five for us to fight against. It was insane.

"Blaze, just don't get yourself killed," I pleaded.

"I won't," Blaze replied softly. I had been worried that after everything had happened, Chopper and Bartlett being shot down, us being accused of attacking civilians, that Blaze had been hardened by the war so much that she didn't feel anymore, that she had no emotion. But when I heard her soft voice, I realized she still did have emotions, that she was just bottling them up and when she couldn't contain them anymore, she exploded… like now. She had bottled up her emotion so much after we were accused of attacking the civilians, especially after Chopper died, that she was like a volcano that was just waiting to explode its wrath on anything that got in its way. While the idea scared me, it gave me hope that we could survive this because when Blaze was _this_ pissed off, no one stood a chance.

I went after an enemy plane that was trailing Nagase persistently. She had been going in kamikaze flight paths to get it off her tail and she would manage to lose it a few times but it would always reappear sooner or later, usually the former one. I somehow was able to get within a few yards from it and shoot two missiles at it. Both of my missiles hit the plane much to my delight.

"Thanks Grimm!" Nagase said.

"No problem. We're not losing anymore of this squadron," I stated confidently.

"Agreed," Blaze said. Blaze got behind me and I realized it was because there was an enemy plane behind me. Of course, I didn't have to even evade because Blaze shot it down before it could even get a missile lock on me.

"Thunderhead, respond!" Nagase begged for what had to be the third time.

"Nagase, don't waste your breath. Thunderhead can't hear us; the enemy is doing something that's messing up our communication lines with him," Blaze sighed wearily.

"Isn't there any way around that?" Nagase asked fretfully.

"No. We're on our own," Blaze said a little too calmly for my taste.

"Damn," Nagase muttered.

"You said it," I agreed whole-heartedly.

"You two get back to base. I'll handle these assholes," Blaze ordered.

"Like hell we're going to do that!" I laughed in shock at the absurd order Blaze had given us. "There's no way we're leaving you."

"Y'all get back to base and tell the Commander what's going on. He needs to know that Yuktobania isn't the enemy!"

"No," Nagase said firmly.

"Yes," Blaze countered in an annoyed tone.

"No," Nagase repeated. "We are not going to leave you here."

"I don't want to lose anymore of my wingmen," Blaze replied hotly.

"And we're not going to lose our Captain," Nagase shot back.

"Where are some more enemy planes?" Blaze asked, apparently abandoning the argument of telling us to go back to base since it was obvious we weren't going to leave her.

"I've got nothing but gray on my radar! It's being jammed!" I announced while I headed towards an enemy plane that was attempting (emphasis on attempting) to get behind Blaze.

"Meteor Seven, missile behind you!" An enemy warned. I heard a yell as the missile Blaze had sent after the enemy she was trailing hit the plane. I guessed that was Meteor Seven.

We were now dead center of the battle. The planes swarmed around us, giving us no way to escape.

Nagase was trailing an enemy plane that skimmed the sides of the mountains, trying to get behind Blaze unnoticed. It failed epically, especially when it hadn't realized Nagase had gotten behind them until after she had fired two missiles at them. The idiot of an enemy was too slow to react and crashed into the mountainside.

As I was flying up towards another enemy jammer, four planes came from each side of me, all shooting missiles at me. I somehow was able to avoid all the missiles _and_ shoot down the jammer, but I had to be careful going back down because those enemies would jump at the chance to shoot me down if they could.

"Oh no, we're completely surrounded!" Nagase pointed out.

"It's a trap! We fell right into it!" I exclaimed.

"Well let's turn the tables on them!" Blaze suggested (although it sounded like more of a command, and coming from her, it probably was). I was starting to think that maybe fighting against all these enemies had been a bad idea.

"Captain, we've got to make it back! Even if we have to turn our backs to the enemy. Right?" I questioned, hoping, _praying_, that she would say yes.

"No! I'm not leaving until every single one of these enemies is gone!" Blaze declared fiercely.

"You're not thinking about defeating all those enemy planes before returning? That's insane!" Nagase objected.

"They're the reason Chopper's dead!" Blaze cried.

"But we can't defeat all these planes by ourselves!" Nagase wrangled.

"We've done it before and we can do it again. I am _not_ running this time. I want _them_ to run away from _me_," Blaze hissed.

Not wanting them to be fighting, I said, "Captain, she's just worried about you…"

"Why is she worried about me?" Blaze inquired shortly.

"Because we're your best friends and these fighters are much better than ones we've fought before and you're so intent on getting them, it's kind of scaring us."

There was silence.

"I'm not meaning to scare y'all. I just can't make myself leave this place until after I've shot every single enemy plane down."

I could (unfortunately) understand why.

"There'll be no place in history for you," A Belkan sneered.

I went up in a loop to lose the enemy plane trailing me and to get behind the plane that I had been trailing earlier but had to bail on it when this enemy plane got behind me.

"We could care less if we make history. What we care about is ending this damn war and that means getting you bastards out of our way!" Blaze snapped as I got behind the enemy plane and shot it down easily.

"Oh my god! More enemy planes? How is this possible?!" Nagase asked as more enemy blips appeared on our radars.

"The only thing we can do now is escape as quickly as possible!" I said.

"No, that's not the only thing. We have two options: We can run away or we can stand and fight. For me, I'm going with the latter one," Blaze said. Of course… she knew I wouldn't leave her side, nor would Nagase.

"I've got to shake off these enemies," Nagase said. I turned my head to see where Nagase was. She had two enemy fighters on her tail. I turned my plane towards her and went after the planes; Blaze joined me. Together, we shot down the two enemy planes with ease, allowing Nagase to fly towards the target she had been aiming to get for a while. Somehow, the target had always seemed to avoid her.

"Aim for the cockpit. Don't let them get out alive," A Belkan yelled, practically making me go deaf.

"Sheesh, could he tone his voice down? I'd be amazed if Thunderhead didn't hear that," I said.

"He didn't. Stupid Belkans seriously messed up the communication devices," Blaze replied.

"Enemies of Belka, be gone!" A Belkan roared in frustration. I couldn't blame him. We were shooting down the enemy planes and there were only three of us… there were like, fifteen of them. I'd be getting ticked off too.

"We're not going anywhere," Blaze growled.

"Nip the dangerous seeds in the bud. Those are our orders," Another Belkan said. Then I heard… laughter?

Blaze was laughing.

"Uh, Blaze? Are you laughing?" I asked curiously.

"I'm s-sorry," Blaze laughed. "I'm laughing at th-their analogy."

I started to chuckle too as I thought about it. I mean, you would think if they hated us as much as they said they did that they would use a better analogy than what they did. I would expect some more vulgar words. Soon, I was cracking up, so was Nagase. That told me we needed some serious rest if we were in hysterics over something that really wasn't that funny.

I snapped out of my hysterical laughing fit when an enemy plane got behind Blaze.

"Damn, I can't lose this guy!" She said exasperatedly after a couple minutes had passed.

"We could lose them in the clouds…" I suggested, but then added, "But it's too dangerous."

"Dangerous is my middle name," Blaze replied mischievously. Blaze shot up and disappeared in the clouds. Even I couldn't see her.

"Dammit! I lost the lead plane! They disappeared in the clouds!" A Belkan shouted in anger. I heard Blaze laughing over the radio. She had officially lost it.

"They went too far, capturing that fortress," A Belkan said.

"They will now pay for their insolence," A Belkan answered.

"These pilots are the straw that broke the camel's back. Get them," A Belkan added.

_The straw that broke the camel's back?_ I thought. What is it with the Belkans and their analogies? And how did a camel enter the equation? Oh my god, and I thought _we_ were random. The Belkans just put random on a whole new level.

"Did they just say something about us being straw that broke a camel's back?" Blaze inquired curiously as she shot down from the clouds to get behind an enemy plane.

"So I didn't hear that wrong. I thought I was losing it when I heard them say that but they really did say that. They just put random on a whole new level," I chuckled.

"Amen!" Nagase agreed while she joined Blaze in shooting down the enemy plane Blaze was trailing. The two of them shot it down in ten seconds flat.

"Don't let them escape, no matter what. The future of Belka is hanging in the balance," A Belkan announced.

"Well when you put it like that…" Blaze began before rolling her plane to the side and then up into a loop to go after the third to last enemy plane.

"Blaze, how many more planes do we have? My plane is heavily damaged from the last mission. I can't fight much longer," Nagase warned.

"We have two left. I just shot the third down. Pull out though. I'm not losing you, too," Blaze said.

"We've got to evade their attack and separate from the flight," I said.

"Just hang in there Grimm. You're doing fantastic!" Blaze encouraged.

"There's too much to think about. I think I'm going to lose it!" I exclaimed.

"Grimm, don't stress yourself. Pull out if you need to. I'm not losing any of you. If you two survive, that's all that matters. It's getting the crew back alive that counts," Blaze told us.

"We have to get out of here and report this!" Nagase insisted as she shot down the second to last plane.

"I can't believe Belka's behind all this," I said. How could the country that was defeated fifteen years ago by the combined powers of Osea and Yuktobania and other countries think that they could pit the two superpowers against each other without someone on either side realizing what's happening?"

"If this is the truth, then what was this war all about?!" Nagase demanded.

"I don't know but we're going to find out. That, I promise you," Blaze assured as she shot down the last plane.

"Last plane shot down!" Blaze declared triumphantly.

"Let's hurry back home!" I urged.

**MISSION ACCOMPLISHED**

The three of us hit our afterburners and headed to the east, wanting to escape this desolate place.

I couldn't believe we had just shot down all those planes. The three of us had just gone up against probably around twenty planes and we had kicked their butts. We had gotten unimaginably good at flying. Our coordination together was impeccable. It's no wonder that all of our previous enemies had been afraid of us. After this battle, I could understand why people on the enemy's side were scared when we came to the frontlines.

We truly were part of the reason Osea was winning.

* * *

**December 7, 2010, Sand Island Air Force Base, 0110hrs…**

**Genette**

I stared at the blinds that blocked the nighttime view as I listened to one of my friends, also a reporter, answer some questions Pops and I had ever since we had lost contact with my sister, Nagase, and Grimm somewhere over the Vladimir Mountains. Pops had just happened to get a glance at the allied squadron meeting up with my sister's squadron before we lost contact. He told me that the plane's ID number didn't match up with any of Osea's allies' numbers. He also told me it matched the ID number of the planes that had met the Wardog Squad when they rescued the president.

Hence the reason I was on the phone, trying to dig up any information I could that could possibly help me and Pops figure out what was going on.

When I was done on the phone, I hung up and turned my head to look at Pops.

"Would it surprise you if I said that President Harling is nowhere to be found within the capital?" I queried, just having a feeling it wouldn't surprise him.

"Not really," Pops admitted, shaking his head. "The hardline war Osea's waging right now hardly resembles the peace policy the President was promoting." He paused briefly. "Let me guess, he disappeared just before we invaded Yuktobania, right?"

"Exactly," I said, now turning my whole body to look at him. "My journalist friends told me that nobody's seen him enter or leave the office since. All of his decisions are communicated through the Vice President. And it gets better. A lot of the military officers that resigned over disagreement with the President's arms-reduction plan have started to return to the capital."

Pops shifted a little on the couch at my announcement.

"I found out something myself," Pops said. "That Belkan aggressor force I was telling you about… apparently they're called the 8492nd Squadron. Also, and here's the kicker, Captain Hamilton, the Adjutant Base Commander here, used to be assigned to the 8492nd."

Pops looked up as I exclaimed, "What?"

Right at that moment, we heard plane engines… fighter jet engines… they were okay!

"Oh, they're back," Pops acknowledged.

* * *

**Blaze**

I landed first, followed by Nagase and then Grimm. We were completely exhausted having been in the air for most of the day. I wanted to go and crash out in my bed but there were things we had to do that couldn't be postponed.

"There's no point in talking to that blockhead Commander," Nagase pointed out irritably. "He treated our President like an idiot just because he wanted peace."

"What about his Adjutant, Captain Hamilton?" Grimm suggested.

"Idea, Grimm, good," I said wearily, my brain not being able to put a sentence together properly. I guess Nagase could sense how tired I was because she said, "Roger that. The Captain and I will go see him. Grimm, you go let Genette and Pops know."

"Right. Be careful," Grimm warned.

"Good job, guys, today," I praised, then I mentally cursed my brain for once again not being able to put a complete sentence together.

"Thank you Blaze," Nagase replied.

We pulled our planes into the hangar. Grimm bolted off to Genette's room while Nagase and I ran towards Hamilton's office. Cassie met us on the way.

"Hey! What's going on? Why are you running?" She inquired as she fell in step next to us. I started to explain what had happened.

* * *

**Genette**

"What?" I exclaimed sharply. Pops had stood straight up, flipping over Kirk's silver food bowl, when Grimm came in and told us that Blaze and Nagase had gone to talk to Hamilton. "Nagase and Blaze went to see Hamilton?"

Grimm looked worried. "What is it? Did I do something wrong?"

"Let's hurry," Pops urged. Grimm glanced over at Pops. Briefly, I explained everything. Grimm's mouth dropped open.

"You got it!" I agreed.

"We need to warn them!" He exclaimed.

"We don't have time to warn Blaze and Nagase. We'll have to talk to the Base Commander ourselves," Pops said grimly. We left my room and strode confidently to the Base Commander's office.

I turned the corner that led to the office. Opening the door, I let Pops go in first, but Grimm let me go in before him. The Base Commander was standing at his desk with his hands behind his back.

"Thank you for coming Second Lieutenant," The Base Commander said. "I was just thinking about calling you over."

"Me?" Pops inquired askance. I could see Pops out of the corner of my eye glancing towards the semi-open door. He was looking for an escape route in case something went wrong.

"Special Forces Second Lieutenant Peter N. Beagle. Or I guess you prefer 'Pops,'" The Base Commander began. "Fifteen years ago, you and Bartlett were shot down over enemy terrain. Bartlett's squadron HQ was destroyed and all of its data was fried by Belka's magnetic-pulse weaponry. When you made it back to the allied front lines, it was Bartlett's word that convinced them that _you_ were his squadron leader. Is that really true?"

The Base Commander pulled out a gun and pointed it directly at us.

* * *

**Blaze**

Nagase, Cassie, and I marched to Captain Hamilton's office. I knocked and waited for the reply.

"Come in," Hamilton's muffled voice said. I opened the door and walked in, followed by Nagase and Cassie. They flanked me. I tried to hide my shock when I saw Bailey Cohen leaning casually up against Hamilton's desk.

"Captain Hamilton, sir, we need to speak to you privately," I said, not looking over at Bailey.

"Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of Bailey," Hamilton replied nonchalantly. I glanced over at Nagase and Cassie and they did a slight nod of their heads telling me to go on. But before I could say anything, Hamilton cut me off.

"I know why you're here," He said.

"You do, sir?" I questioned.

"Yes, I do. You're here to tell me that Belka is behind this, are you not?"

"Yes, sir but how- how did you know that?" My gut was telling me that I needed to get out of there and that I needed to get out of there _now_. But my feet refused to move, so did my heart. My heart was telling me to stay, that I needed to find out why Hamilton knew this. I forced myself to ignore my gut and stay.

"Excuse me sir, but before you tell us, can you tell me why you have a Major's Insignia on your shoulder?" Nagase questioned. That's when it hit me full force.

"You bastard!" I shouted. Nagase and Cassie looked at me like I had lost it.

Hamilton turned to look at me, the evilest face I had ever seen settled upon it.

"You dare insult me, Captain Banks?" Hamilton sneered.

"Blaze, what's going on?" Cassie asked worriedly.

"He's not who you think he is," I said through gritted teeth.

"Then please, tell me Blaze, who I work for," Hamilton urged with an amused smile, having the thought that I wouldn't be able to guess it.

"Belka."

* * *

**Genette**

The three of us took a step back. Now all of us were on alert.

"Is that really true?" He demanded. "Bartlett turned out to be a spy. So, who are you, really?"

I glared at the Base Commander. Hamilton had persuaded him that Pops was the traitor and that his friends, meaning me, Cassie, Blaze, Nagase, and Grimm, were also traitors. I made a mental note to myself saying that if I ever got my hands on Hamilton, I was going to strangle him.

Pops didn't say anything. He just continued looking at the Base Commander.

"Can't prove anything about your military record, can you?" The Base Commander taunted. Pops turned to look at me and Grimm. His eyes told us that we were to escape through the slightly-ajar door. Grimm and I did slight nods to show that we understood. Pops started moving his foot back.

The Base Commander's hand was barely a centimeter away from the emergency button when the lights flickered before going out.

* * *

**Blaze**

Hamilton's face turned murderous and I knew I had guessed right. It helped having an uncle and a brother who knew everything about other military symbols and customs. I was glad at that moment for the times when my brother and uncle would force me to look at military symbols and rank indicators.

"How did you know that?!" Hamilton barked.

"You can thank my brother," I replied with a smirk.

"I knew we never should've let your brother on base, of course, he won't be getting off this base. The Base Commander is an idiot and I told him that you were all traitors. Your brother is with the Base Commander right now in fact," Hamilton said. "Anyways, none of you are going anywhere except to jail although you," –Hamilton pointed at me- "You are not going to live to see another day."

Hamilton pulled out a gun but he was too late. Cassie had pulled hers out and fired at Hamilton. He ducked out of the way. Nagase bolted for him and as he was getting up, she struck an experienced blow to the side of Hamilton's head. He collapsed and Nagase kicked the gun out of his hands. Cassie joined her and together, they fought against Hamilton. He didn't look strong, but he was equal in strength to both Cassie and Nagase.

Bailey yelled in frustration and lunged at me. I hadn't seen it coming. She had me pinned to the floor with a letter opener in my face. Its serrated edges made fear rise up in me. No way was I going, not like this. I held her wrist away from me. I couldn't move anything but my head. On a very dumb decision, I bit her. Bailey howled in pain and I kicked her off of me. I kicked her again, this time in the side of the head, instantly knocking her unconscious (I'm an ex-soccer player you know). I grabbed her gun. It was still fully loaded. Why she had grabbed an envelope opener instead of her gun was beyond me but because of her mistake, I was alive. I turned to go help Nagase and Cassie but they didn't need any. Nagase punched with all her might towards Hamilton's face and knocked him completely out. We were all breathing hard but we couldn't rest. We had to get out of there and to my brother. Hopefully Grimm and Pops were with him.

We raced through the halls of the base. Thankfully, we passed no one on the way there. We slowed down as we neared the Base Commander's office, not wanting to alert anyone to our presence, not even Genette. We could hear voice inside. One was definitely the Base Commander's… the other one was Pops. If Pops was there, so was Grimm and I already knew that Genette was in there. We crept closer to the door to hear exactly what was being said.

"… _You_ were his squadron leader. Is that really true?" The Base Commander demanded. Then I heard a slight click… the slight click of a gun. Oh hell no. First Bartlett, then Chopper. No way was I going to lose anymore of my friends. The Base Commander said more but I wasn't listening. I was looking for a way to get Genette, Pops, and Grimm out of there. I narrowed in on the electrical box outside of the Base Commander's office. I pointed my gun at it and fired a clean hole through the metal. The lights flickered before going out.

* * *

**Genette**

"This way!" Pops shouted in the dark. I whirled around, knocking over a chair in the process, and ran out of that office. A bullet whistled dangerously close to my ear but it miraculously didn't hit me. Pops, Grimm and I managed to get out of there and I heard more gunshots after that. I couldn't help but smile as the Base Commander fired blindly at nothing. My smile vanished when I saw three figures were waiting for us.

"Genette?!" A familiar voice shrieked.

"Elizabeth!" I breathed, my smile returning. I wanted to hug her so badly but we couldn't. We had to get out of there, especially when I heard the Base Commander yelling, "Arrest them on sight! They're spies. Shoot 'em if you have to!"

We ran like the devil himself was after us, Pops in the lead. He knew of a place where we could go where we wouldn't get caught. Grimm was having trouble going so slow.

"Grimm, go see if they've seized our planes in the hangars! We'll meet you in the alley with the barrels," Pops commanded. Grimm nodded and bolted down another hall at an impressive speed. Pops led us outside and into an alley. We all stopped and bent down to catch our breaths.

* * *

**Grimm**

I peered around the building to see if there were any guards near the hangars… there were… and one just happened to see me.

"Over there!" The guard yelled, starting to chase after me with his _very_ big automatic. Five or six other guards joined the chase. I ran inside the base. I knew where I was headed: Chopper's room. I managed to get inside his room before the guards had time to turn around the corner, giving me sometime to search for a way out of there. I looked around. My only escape routes were the way I had come in (I'm not that stupid), breaking the window which was sure to attract some attention, crawling through the vent (I'm not that tiny), or crawling through the ceiling. I decided the ceiling was the safest way to go. Insane, yes, but it was my best shot. I was about to climb on the bed when I saw Chopper's wallet. On a spilt-second decision, I grabbed it because I knew he kept pictures of him and Blaze together and I was thinking Blaze might like to have those photos. I put his wallet in the waterproof pocket in my flightsuit.

I climbed on top of the bunk bed and moved one of the ceiling tiles aside. I climbed up inside the filthy, dark space before replacing the ceiling tile. I did it in the nick of time because barely two seconds later, the guards busted down Chopper's door.

"He's not here!" One announced.

"Keep searching for him then!" The lead guard barked. I waited until the door closed before I started crawling in the direction of which I had entered the base. It was slow tedious work but I managed to get to the place after removing a few ceiling tiles to see where I was. I had accidentally moved a tile that was above the girl's restroom. Thankfully, there was no one in it.

Finally, I reached the door where I had come in. I made sure no one was around before I moved the tile fully out of place and dropped down with a slight "oomph" on the tile floor. I ran outside, making sure to stay in the shadows.

* * *

**Cassie**

I was leaning up against the wall next to Nagase. Pops was sitting down on a barrel on my other side, petting Kirk. Blaze and Genette were leaning up against the wall opposite me and Nagase. Blaze was silent, looking down at the ground, ignoring us completely. I felt so bad for her. She couldn't catch a break.

"Hamilton's got the Base Commander deceived, too," Genette said.

"Yeah, Hamilton told us that," I told him.

"I punched that guy's lights out," Nagase said. "That bastard was wearing a Major's insignia on his shoulder."

"It was Blaze who alerted us who he really was," I added. I saw Blaze smile slightly. So she was listening and my compliment had made her smile, which made me smile slightly as well.

"I don't know who it is, but someone's trying to widen the rift between the two countries and keep this war going," Genette announced with a grimace.

"It's Belka," Blaze answered.

"I know that it's Belka, but _who_ in Belka?" Genette inquired. Blaze was silent because she didn't know either.

"If Osea continues to win," Genette went on, "Then the war will be over."

"And they're after us to prevent that?" Nagase questioned, astounded at the fact that she and Blaze and Grimm might be cause of all this. "You're kidding."

"You people are the pillar of morale for the entire Osean Army now," Genette pointed out. Blaze harrumphed at the idea as the spotlight glided over our position. It didn't spot us.

"And now you know something you were better off not knowing… the President's disappearance." Pops spoke quietly.

"Listen, Pops, who exactly are you?" Genette demanded harshly, but not unkindly.

"He's a deserter from the Belkan Air Force. He was given orders to drop one of the nuclear bombs but he didn't want to and went AWOL. He joined the Osean Air Force and has helped them ever since," Blaze responded. We all looked at her; Pops looked astonished.

"How do you know that?" Genette queried.

"I called Jason," Blaze replied, looking at Genette. An understanding seemed to pass between them, making me wonder who this Jason person was.

We all whipped our heads around when we heard footsteps rapidly approaching. Kirk stood in front of everyone and wagged his tail as he waited to attack the enemy. Grimm appeared, breathing heavily.

"It's no good. They seized our planes in the hangars," Grimm announced between breaths. We were silent for a while before Pops looked towards the hangars which we could clearly see from our hiding spot.

Hangar C in the rear probably isn't so heavily guarded," Pops observed, almost to himself.

"Yeah, but…" Grimm took in another gulp of air, "But over there, there's nothing but…"

"We'll escape with my training jets," Pops declared. "Good thing I maintain all my planes well, eh? Let's try it. Genette, you take the seat behind me. Cassie, you go with Grimm and Blaze, you're taking Kirk."

"Are you sure?" Blaze nearly squeaked.

"Yes. He knows what to do," Pops assured. Blaze looked unsure but she didn't argue. Pops stood up and we followed him soundlessly through the back passages throughout the base. We had to hide a few times as soldiers passed us but they never heard nor saw us much to our relief. We made it to the hangar and with amazing stealth, we were soundlessly able to get every strapped in the planes, including Kirk. Blaze looked pale in the darkness. I think she was scared that she was going to kill Kirk with her flying but Pops assured her that Kirk was capable of flying with her.

It was almost three thirty in the morning by the time we were ready to go. It was also time for the most nerve-wracking part. We started up our engines after Pops had hit the door opener before hopping into his plane and starting his engine. We started pulling out of the hangar before the doors were fully open. We just wanted to get out of there.

* * *

**Sand Island Base Guard**

We were all running towards Hangar C at breakneck speed when we had heard plane engines. The first training jet pulled out, then another, then another, then another. The four planes headed towards the runway.

"They're getting away!" Someone shouted.

_Well no kidding!_ I thought but I refrained from saying it.

"Fire! Take 'em down!" Another guard yelled. We fired our guns in a futile attempt as the planes got on the runway. They were lined up in pairs. I knew that Blaze and Pops would be in front, seeing as they both seemed to have superiority within the group, and Nagase and Grimm were in the back. They hit the afterburners and shot down the runway, barely gaining enough speed before taking off.

* * *

**Blaze**

"Okay, let's get out of here," Pops said. I didn't argue as we shot down the runway. We were barely a third way down the runway before we pulled up. When all four of us were in the air, Pops said, "All right, now keep climbing to a higher altitude."

Sand Island was now behind us as we headed to god knows where. So much for a good night's sleep…

"So where do we go now?" Grimm questioned.

"We no longer have a home to return to," Pops said.

"Attention, all Air Force planes! Enemy spy elements have made off with four training jets and are heading north. Find them and shoot them down. Repeat, all Air Force planes…" Hamilton commanded. I growled at Hamilton's voice. I was going to get my revenge on him sooner or later.

"That's Hamilton's voice. The bastard…" Grimm started before mumbling things indecipherable to all of us although I think I heard the F-bomb a few times along with some other words I care not to mention.

"Guess I'll try my hand at combat maneuvering, then," Pops said. "Excuse me while I take the lead. Follow me, people."

Pops sped up to be in the front of the formation that I had been leading into the oblivion. I was glad that I wasn't leading right then and there. It felt good to be following someone else again.

* * *

**Alright, it's funny. This chapter is short compared to all the other chapters. God, I hate Hamilton. He's a no good, lying little Belkan… Now I'm starting to sound like Grimm. Anyways, please review!**


	22. Final Option

**Hey y'all! Long time no update. Well, I'm about to change that with the newest chapter. I don't have much to say except that I am going to make a joke about a politician so if you are on that politician's side, I'm just making a joke so don't flame me for it.**

**Quote of the Chapter:  
**"**Don't break anyone's heart. They only have one. Break their bones instead. They have hundreds of those."  
****~Drakari Cruel from the League Series**

* * *

Chapter 22: Final Option

**December 7, 2010, 0704 hrs, Ceres Ocean…**

**Blaze**

The four of us flew towards a destination unknown to all but Pops. He knew where he was going which was more than you could say for the rest of us.

Sand Island was far behind us. I couldn't even see the distant shore of it. However, we could still hear some transmissions from them. At least the ones that involved us.

We had remained relatively silent during the time we had been flying which had been for a few hours. The radio was silent as well.

"This is the 8492nd Squadron. We have a visual on the enemy. Engaging," The leader of the 8492nd snarled. I growled as I looked at them high above us. I knew any minute they were going to fly down here and shoot us down. It was extremely tempting to go and shoot them down.

"Blaze, you're not armed," Pops told me, as if he had read my mind about going after the 8492nd.

"I know," I mumbled.

"It's them!" Grimm exclaimed.

"This is Thunderhead. Roger, 8492nd. Are those guys really traitors?" Thunderhead asked incredulously. He sounded unconvinced that we were traitors. I wanted to tell him that he was right for once but he couldn't hear me.

"Yeah," the 8492nd leader said.

"I can't believe it," Thunderhead replied.

"You can believe what you want, but it's the truth. 8492nd Squadron, you have permission to shoot down those planes," Hamilton ordered.

"Bastard!" I shouted.

"8492nd, roger."

"I should've punched Hamilton harder," Nagase commented.

"Punched? Shot is more like it," I retorted.

"I'll get you guys out of here. You all stay with me, now," Pops said.

"Yes, sir," I replied. Grimm and Nagase were quick to follow.

"Good answer," Pops approved, dipping his plane towards an island below us; the three of us followed suit. The island was oddly shaped but then again, most islands are, aren't they?

"That flying style… that isn't the Colonel, is it?" The 8492nd leader queried.

"Colonel? You mean _the_ Colonel? The legendary pilot they used to call Huckebein the Raven during the last war?" An 8492nd wingman asked. It was about this time that my radar went out. I could just barely make out the blips that were me, Pops, Grimm, and Nagase. The 8492nd were nowhere to be found on it. The question was, where were the 8492nd? I didn't care about my radar although I probably should've. No, I wanted to know where the 8492nd were at all times because if they attacked, I would do everything in my power to protect my wingmen.

"Yeah. The most infamous traitor our country's ever produced," the leader snarled.

"Wow, Blaze, you were right about Pops being Belkan and going AWOL on them," Grimm observed.

"Since when is Blaze ever wrong?" Nagase pointed out.

"Touché," Grimm agreed.

"Trust me, I'm wrong more than you know," I said.

"We never see it," Grimm objected.

"That's because I don't let you," I replied simply. We were quiet as we focused on trailing Pops and making sure we didn't crash into the rolling hills or dark blue water below because that would really suck.

The island was rather pretty and I would've enjoyed it more had I not been pretty much flying for my life away from the people I wanted revenge on the most. How ironic is that? The hunter was now the hunted. I didn't like it one bit.

"Is that you Ashley?" Pops inquired. "I kept hearing this name, "8492," and was wondering what the heck it was. Since you started calling yourselves the Grabacr Fighter Squadron in the last war, I got sick of flying the same skies with ya. Sounds like you've strayed even further from your ideals since then."

"Are you taking about Ashley Bernitz?" I questioned. My Uncle Jason had mentioned him before but I forget which battle. I think it was during a mission in the Round Table. I reminded myself that I would have to ask Uncle Jason that… if I survived this blasted mission.

"Yes, I am. You know about him?" Pops answered.

"Yes, well, sort of. I've heard his name before when I was learning about a battle that I think took place in the Round Table. I'm sure that's not the only place he's been but that's the battle I remember his name most definitely being in."

"Blaze, how do you know all this?" Pops sounded amazed.

"The guy Jason that told me about you also told me about other big names in the BAF. He told me and Genette about the Rald Party, about "Talon's Sword," about a guy named Solo Wing Pixy. He told me and Genette everything," I said. I had probably said too much but in our current situation, I don't think any of us were going to live long enough to have any use for my and Genette's knowledge.

"Blaze, who is this Jason person?" Pops inquired seriously.

"He was in the Belkan War and he was just very observant, that's all. He studied the Rald Party, about the mission that destroyed _Excalibur_, he flew in the same sky as this Solo Wing Pixy guy at some point in his career but I'm not sure which mission." It wasn't the _exact_ truth but it was _part _of the truth and that's all that mattered. I hated lying to the guy that was the reason we were alive so far.

"He was in the Air Force?"

"Yes, sir."

"Was he a mercenary?"

"No, sir," I lied. Well, technically, if you want to get technical, he was a mercenary that fought for Ustio. I mean, he was practically an official pilot of the UAF by the time the war was over. No one really called him a mercenary except for the enemy, and even they would refer to him as the Ustian pilot, even though in reality he was Belkan… I never told you that, did I? Okay, let me explain this before y'all get all panicky about nothing. My grandparents were originally from Belka but moved to Ustio because the Rald Party was starting to come into existence and they didn't like their ideals. My mother and Uncle Jason were born a year before the move. When my uncle was old enough, he moved back to Belka and was trained by the Belkan Air Force. However, when he realized that the Rald Party was dangerous, he moved back to Ustio. He still wanted to fly but he felt no real connection to any one country that was arguing against Belka, so he decided to become a mercenary. He fought for Ustio since he had _some_ relations to it… plus he had a pretty decent pay apparently. And that's the story behind my Belkan family ties. I'm not necessarily proud of it seeing as how they are the reason this blasted war started but I will give them credit for their extensive knowledge in technology and military strategies. I think it's in a Belkan blood the ability to be in battle. With their pride, determination, and sense of honor, they are a dangerous enemy to be tangled with.

"Hmm, this Jason person is very interesting still to say the least," Pops noted to himself.

"What's that island down there? Dammit, my radar's out…" Bernitz muttered.

"That's a volcanic island. There's a strong magnetic force field all around it," Pops informed us. "Our radar's out, too, so you guys better follow me closely."

"Yes, sir," Nagase, Grimm and I said simultaneously. We flew between electric generator windmills stationed on a hill. Nagase and Grimm were close behind me. They still relied on me. I was the one who agreed to go with Pops on this escape and if this failed, it would all be my entire fault. No pressure, right?

I turned around to see how Kirk was handling my flying. He seemed to be managing pretty well but I was being extra careful with my flying. I was trying not to turn my plane too sharply or be too erratic with my flying style which I for some reason am told I do but I don't see it.

"The ravine is widening up ahead… what's that?!" Grimm inquired. I stared at the ravine before me. There were scrapped planes along with some hangars. What was this place?

"It's… a scrapyard!" Nagase exclaimed. A scrapyard? If it was a scrap yard, what "scraps" went there? Were they simply planes that weren't in use anymore or did they put trashed planes as well? And if they did, were parts of Chopper's planes (the ones that hadn't been incinerated that is) there? The thought of Chopper made my heart contract. I pushed down those thoughts and focused on flying. I couldn't have any distractions, no matter whatever I was thinking meant to me. I had learned to push down my emotions to where I didn't feel anything from the past. I didn't like it but it was what kept me sane.

"This is a graveyard for scrapped planes," Grimm said solemnly, again making me think about the possibility of Chopper's plane being somewhere down there.

Pushing down those emotions, I started thinking about the 8492nd. The more I thought about them, the more I wanted to tell them off… which was exactly what I decided to do.

"Hey Pops?" I asked sweetly.

"Yes, Blaze?"

"Can I talk to the 8492nd for a moment?" Before he could answer, I switched my radio frequency to that of the 8492nd.

"Is this the 8492nd?" I asked.

"Yes, who is this?" Bernitz's voice replied.

"Hi there, this is Blaze and I would just like to ask you boys a question: why are you doing this?" I asked as innocently as I could.

"Did you just call us boys you insolent girl? We are men! Not _boys_, not _guys_, _men_!" Bernitz shouted.

"You didn't answer my question and men answer questions so therefore you are boys, and by your reaction, little boys at that," I replied, smirking to myself, knowing full well I was pissing them off.

"The answer to your question," Bernitz snarled, "Is so that Belka can get the glory it deserves and to have its dignity restored from the war fifteen years ago! If it was not for that damn "Demon Lord," we would've won. But for some unknown reason, he struck fear into our soldiers' heart. He was no hero; just a monstrous mercenary that was only in it for the money. He had no sense of honor or duty. The only sense he had was for the paycheck the Ustian Air Force had waiting for him. No mercenary is a hero."

"I beg your pardon, but, didn't he beat you in a battle in the B7R? Oh wait, he did. And thanks to him, the war ended so therefore he is a hero because he stopped you delusional Belkans from gaining world domination which almost no one denies is what your were after," I countered. Man, it was so much fun getting the Belkans worked up because it was so freaking easy. All you had to do was tell them the truth.

"How the hell do you know that? That information is confidential!"

"Apparently it's not seeing as how I just said it. Sheesh, and I thought you Belkans were smarter than this. I mean, first you let us get away, which was way too easy. I was expecting more resistance. Then we fly to an island that has a strong magnetic force field and now you can't find us. When I realized you were considered aces of the BAF, I was expecting something more… well, more," I said blatantly.

"More?! We are the top in the mighty Belkan Air Force! _We_ did not let you get away! It was those incomp- those soldiers. No, we're not letting you get away. None of you are going to live to see another day," Bernitz threatened.

"That's what Hamilton said and look what happened to him; he got beat up by two girls and probably has a shiner to prove it," I pointed out.

"He was surprised that your friend shot at him," Bernitz argued.

"No, he was to slow to pull out his gun and his idiot of a girlfriend Bailey tried to kill me with a letter opener. Again I say, I was expecting more, Sheesh, y'all are moronic," I said. I knew I was pushing his buttons and I was probably going too far. But after everything that happened, I didn't care. Whether I lived or died, I wanted to let the Grabacr know that they didn't scare me. That was their ultimate weapon: their ability to drive fear into other people's hearts. When someone was able to block the attack, it unnerved the attacker, giving the prey a chance for a counterattack. This was my strategy. I knew they were trying to scare me but after everything that's happened, I don't think I had any more fear left in me. The only emotion I was able to sense was my feeling of justice, of righting the wrong… and of revenge.

"We are not moronic! You're the moronic one contacting us!"

"If you think I'm a moron, then why are you conversing with me? There's some reason you feel the need to talk to me. You could just as easily ignore me."

"I can't ignore you when you insult my people, my country, and my honor," Bernitz wrangled as I followed Pops out over the ocean. He turned his plane, making sure to stay low to the ground and close to the hills. I followed likewise.

"And therein what you think is the truth is really just a lie for your comrades to listen to so that their morale is high. You are fighting for _your_ honor. You could care less about the people you're supposedly fighting for. The only reason you're fighting for your country is so that you can kill us and receive the glory of it. Well I have news for you bucko! First of all, we're not going down without a hell of a fight, and two, I can insult Belkans as much as I like because I _am_ Belkan. So you can shove your so called "I'm fighting for honor" crap and admit the truth that you just want glory or you can feel my foot up your ass to where you're burping my Christian Louboutin stilettos. I'm done arguing now."

"Giving up?" Bernitz snarled in triumph.

"No, I'm done arguing because you can't argue with two year olds." And with that, I switched my frequency back to where I could converse with Pops and the others.

"I'm back," I announced.

"What the hell did you just do, Blaze?" Pops demanded.

"Oh, you know, just keeping up verbal foreign relationships," I replied. Nagase actually laughed at that, Pops even chuckled.

"Your actions never fail to amaze me, Blaze," Pops said.

"I hope you mean that as a compliment," I said.

"I'm not sure how I mean it. So how did you keep up relations?"

"Oh, I just completely insulted them while acting like an idiot bringing up good points that they had trouble defending. Oh, and I called them two year olds."

"Geez Blaze, they already want to kill us," Nagase muttered.

"Might as well have some fun with them seeing as how they have no idea where we are right now so I say, what the hell?"

"Touché," Nagase said.

I continued following Pops by flying between two hills. We stayed hidden in the shadows, making it almost impossible for anyone to see us. While I was making sure my flying was steady in case Kirk decided to throw up in the plane, Pops was doing intricate turns and stuff I didn't even know was possible to do.

"Amazing! Where did he learn to do that?" Nagase questioned in admiration.

"He expects us to follow that?" Grimm sounded nervous. I merely chuckled.

"Whoa! ... That was a close one!" Grimm shouted.

"Are you okay?"I asked immediately.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just came too close to a cliff for comfort."

"Be careful, Grimm," I said.

"So you tell other people to be careful but not yourself?" Grimm almost laughed.

"I am careful except when all sane reason leaves me," I bantered.

"So that's every battle?"

"… Pretty much," I admitted. Grimm chuckled.

"Where did you learn how to fly like this, Pops?!" Nagase inquired in amazement as we flew dangerously close to the façades of the mountains.

"In many air battles long ago, my young aviator!" Pops replied good-naturedly.

"Did you ever fly over B7R?" I asked, curiosity gnawing at me. I knew the answer but I wanted to see what he said.

"Yes, why?" Pops questioned. I could sense he was on guard.

"Just curious. I know that almost every ace in the war fifteen years ago flew over B7R at some point in their career," I said simply.

"Where do you _learn_ all this Blaze?"

"Books, TV, people" I said.

"What people?"

"It's a secret," I whispered jokingly.

"You and your secrets Blaze," Grimm said as we flew out into the open. The openness unnerved me. I didn't like going into a battle unarmed except with my wits when my opponents had missiles. I forget what the saying that goes to my situation is but it has something to do with sticks and knives I think.

"What?"

"You have so many!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!" Grimm argued.

"Would you two stop it! I'm losing focus!" Nagase snapped. Grimm and I shut up but I was going to bring this argument up again one day.

"You need to concentrate," Pops said gently. "Stay cool."

Grimm let out a big sigh and Nagase took in a deep breath. I purposefully swallowed loudly just to act like I was scared because in all honesty, I wasn't but I didn't want them to know that.

"Relax. You can do this," Pops assured.

"Yes, sir!" Nagase replied enthusiastically. Her changed tone made me think if she liked Pops being captain more than me. I couldn't shake the feeling she did. "How's Genette doing?"

I mentally slapped myself for not asking about my own brother! How could I forget about him?!

"He hasn't passed out yet. The guy's pretty tough," Pops replied. I tried not to laugh at the image of Genette passing out because I could actually see him doing it, which he has. He was in college and he got really drunk (he it was his twenty first birthday) and he decided to down a few shots of vodka and when I drove him to his dorm (since I was sober because I wasn't old enough to drink), I escorted him into his dorm and I looked down to check my phone, looked back up, Genette grinned at me stupidly, then passed out. I had barely caught him. You can imagine the hangover he had the next morning.

"Ask Genette if he remembers his twenty first birthday," I laughed. A few minutes went by before I got a reply.

"Genette says to shut up," Pops said with a laugh. I cracked up because I could've sworn I heard Genette groan.

"What happened on his twenty first birthday?" Nagase inquired, her voice hinting she knew the story was amusing.

"I'll let _him_ tell you that," I said. Nagase prodded me to get it out of me but she only received the same answer each time. Finally, she gave up.

We followed Pops meticulously so to make sure none of us fell prey to the 8492nd because we got lost.

"Good, good, keep it up," Pops praised. "You're doing great."

I smiled but let my thoughts take over me. I was good at this: flying leisurely while let my thoughts fly faster than the plane itself. Although, I wasn't really flying leisurely right now but you know what I mean.

My thoughts went first to Chopper. They always did. He was my waking thought and what I thought of right before I went to sleep. His crash plagued my dreams whenever I fell asleep but I welcomed the dreams because I heard his voice again. What I would do to just hear once more and have it actually be real, not in some dream. I couldn't shake the feeling that his death was my fault. I had been having dreams about it for god's sake! I should've known some way to stop it!

I ceased my train of thought abruptly as my heart started pounding to a rate that could very well give me a heart attack. Tears stung my eyes. Then I realized how unstable I was. One moment I would be laughing, then next I would be crying, then I would be cursing, then I would be praying. I couldn't make up my mind nor would my mind makes its own self up which I would really appreciate it if it did.

Moving my thoughts along, I thought about how victorious Hamilton looked when he thought he had me, Cassie, and Nagase cornered and then how horrified he looked when Cassie shot at him. It had been classic.

My thoughts moved on to the thing that amazed me most: a dog was my RIO. And honestly, I think Kirk is a better RIO than some trained RIOs.

"Hey, you still keeping up with me?" Pops questioned firmly. I realized I had strayed when I had been thinking about everything so I zoomed back to being just a few dozen feet behind him.

"Yes, sir," I said.

"Good, that's it. Those folks sure don't seem to like us very much," Pops observed.

"That's a bit of an understatement," I said wryly.

"They hate us even more because Blaze ticked them off," Nagase laughed.

"I thought you disapproved of that?"

"I did at first, Blaze, but I realized that if I was in your position, I probably would've done the same thing."

"Oh, okay. So how are you two holding up?" I queried, averting the conversation from going to Chopper.

"This is so intense! My senses are as sharp as knives right now!" Nagase exclaimed.

"I can't even blink! My eyes are drying up!" Grimm added.

"Grimm, blink; it is necessary unless you're like Nancy Pelosi who even if she was told that she was elected President she wouldn't blink. Her lack of blinking is creepy."

"That's… you're right, actually," Grimm agreed. "God, now I can't _stop _blinking!"

"Grimm, don't deviate from the course!" Nagase warned.

"Were you blinking too much Grimm?" I asked, somewhat amused.

"… maybe…" Grimm said.

"Grimm, are you doing okay?" Nagase inquired.

"Yes, but not nearly as okay as you and Blaze sound!"

We flew once again next to the mountains, making me feel more secure. Being out in the open was not something I like to be unarmed.

"It's not that bad," I said, knowing full well it was.

"The cliff faces are blowing right by the canopy!" Grimm wrangled.

"Don't fly so close then," I countered. There was silence. I turned around to see Grimm pulling farther away from the façades of the dark mountain sides. I smirked.

"We're diving into that cave now. You all ready for this?" Pops inquired, sounding completely calm.

"Whoa, what?!" Nagase, Grimm, and I exclaimed simultaneously.

"It's not as bad as you think," Pops said.

"Uh huh," I said, completely not believing him. "Fine, let's do this."

"What?!" Grimm exclaimed.

"If we're going to escape the 8492nd, we have to do this," I replied. Grimm grumbled something unintelligible over the mic which I'm pretty sure had something to do with me and Pops eating "special brownies" from Las Vegas before flying on this trip. And Grimm thinks I'm crazy. I'm not crazy enough to choose to fly into a cave over flying in the shadows of the mountains… maybe…

We flew in the shadows, far enough away from the mountains to where our wings wouldn't hit the sides of them. The cave came into view and from the looks of it our planes were plenty small enough to fit in them. Of course, the cave looked very dark…

Pops disappeared into the cave. I was soon to follow. Darkness engulfed me except for a faint light at the end of the tunnel that illuminated the tunnel just enough to where I could see.

"His flying is incredible!" Nagase acknowledged.

"Gah!" Grimm shouted. "Whoa! Aaahh!"

"Got it there, Grimm?" I asked worriedly.

"Yep, I'm good," Grimm sighed as he flew out of the tunnel. I trailed Pops as he flew past an island between to bigger islands. The crystal blue waters below me sparkled like sapphires in the sun. The thought of sapphires made me look at my engagement ring from Chopper. A knot formed in my throat and it took all of my willpower to swallow it down.

"Pops was pulling some amazing maneuvers!" Nagase noted enthusiastically.

We flew through a narrow valley. One mistake and you would crash into the mountain side.

"I can barely keep up with him," Grimm muttered.

"Woof, woof, woof!" Kirk barked, making me cringe at the sudden loudness.

"Yes," I replied having no idea what the hell three woofs meant.

"Woof!" Kirk barked again.

"Pops, what did I just say yes to?" I asked.

"He may be my dog but I have honest to god, no clue," Pops answered truthfully. Lovely. Knowing my luck, Kirk had asked if he could have a bone and I just gave him false hopes. Now, I feel bad. But what if that _isn't_ what he asked for and I'm feeling bad for no reason?

That's when a new question formed in my mind: why was I stressing over possibly lying to a dog? I shook my head in dismay. Only I would do something like that.

"There's no way I can fly like that," Grimm said, breaking me out of my absurd train of thought as the four of us flew back into a narrow valley. I stayed low to the ground to make it harder for the 8492nd to see us. Of course, if we did get caught, I wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"Like what?" I queried, studying the way Pops moved. They were graceful, almost completely unpredictable movements. That's how I wanted to fly. I wanted to give my enemy no chance of guessing what I was going to do. It tended to make them get frustrated and therefore make more mistakes, giving me the chance to get them.

"Like Pops! It's crazy the way he flies! Genius, don't get me wrong, but completely crazy."

"Well, he's not an ace of the Belkan War for nothing," I pointed out.

"He's an ace of the Belkan War?!" Grimm exclaimed.

"You didn't know that?" I guess I forgot to mention that part.

"No!"

"Oh, well now you do."

"I can't believe we're both flying the same type of plane!" Grimm sounded like a schoolboy when he said that. I couldn't help but laugh. It made me think: we're not as old as I think we are. We've grown up faster than we should have because of this war. Hell, I was only twenty four and I had already seen more gore and bloodshed than some fifty year old veterans. We all had.

Pops flew low to the ground, in the shadows. We came into open space again, above the sapphire waters of the ocean. The glistening water blinded me for a few moments. After being in the shadows so long, it hurt to be in the brightness.

Once my eyes adjusted, I stopped squinting. I didn't want Crow's feet when I was thirty which I realized wasn't that far away. God, I felt so old right then and there…

"Pops is the only guy we can rely on right now," Grimm said.

"We can also rely on our wits," I pointed out.

"What would that do against an armed opponent?" Grimm asked.

"Mainly, give him a false hope that he can shoot you down and every time he gets a good missile lock on you, use your wits to make that missile go askew and leave him bubbling with rage. That rage will lead him to make mistakes that you could possibly use to your advantage," I explained.

"You sure thought that through," Grimm noted.

"I have a lot of time on my hands."

"This is why you make a great captain Blaze. You think ahead. That and your mercurial flight paths that I don't even think I could keep up with. The only person I can think of that could keep up with you is Chopper," Pops said. He had hit it spot on about Chopper being able to follow me, although that was because Chopper and I had the same ideas. We were completely predictable and unpredictable to each other at the same time.

We rounded an island that was just a plain hill in the middle of the two bigger islands. Another cave came into view. It looked more like a manmade cave rather than a natural one or it was natural but had been made into a storage place of some sort.

"Now we're going into that cave?!" Grimm nearly shrieked.

"Let's do it, but first, I have to do something," I said.

"Blaze, don't you even think about talking to the 84-" Nagase began but I was switching radio frequencies by then.

"Hey Bernie," I greeted sarcastically.

"You again!" He snarled.

"That was a _great_ movie!" I exclaimed.

"What?" Bernitz sounded confused at my sudden change of topic.

"It was a movie with Betty White? Had a hot guy in it? No? Not ringing a bell? Well, it's a good movie which you should check out when you're not trying to find us. Speaking of which, I just wanted to wish you good luck with that." I switched back to the radio frequency so that I could converse with my comrades again although I decided not to let them know I was back because I really didn't want Nagase griping at me for talking to the 8492nd. I'm sorry, but it was too much fun getting them riled up, and I can't forget to say how easy it is as well.

"What do you think Blaze is saying?" Grimm inquired as we flew between the extremely constricted space that was our red carpet for the entrance to the mouth of the cave.

"My guess is she's torturing them with her random thoughts," Nagase replied.

"Or, if she's anything like the Demon Lord, who also liked to torture them, she's conversing with them using much satire so that she's acting like she's being funny even though she's being completely serious," Pops suggested.

"Y'all know me too well," I laughed.

"Good god!" Nagase exclaimed. "How long have you been listening in?"

"I came in right at the part where you were wondering what I was doing to them."

"I don't like the way you said that," Nagase mumbled.

"I was doing exactly what y'all thought I was doing." We fell into silence while we concentrated on flying through this tunnel. I t was definitely a storage place.

"Agh! Whoa! It's pitch black!" Grimm exclaimed.

"Don't lose your sense of range in the darkness," Nagase warned.

"Just let your eyes adjust. It's actually surprisingly pretty bright in here," I said.

"Speak for yourself," Grimm grumbled.

Metal railings lined the sides of the cave with beams going across every few hundred feet. There were yellow stripes on the metal, making it easier to see where they were. I flew underneath the beams, same with Grimm. Nagase and Pops flew above the beams.

"This is unreal. It's insane!" Grimm sounded exasperated and I couldn't really blame him. I had to admit, this was pretty insane, even for us, and we had done some pretty insane things.

"I'm with you on that Grimm," I agreed.

"Oh my god, Blaze just admitted that she thinks this is insane!" Grimm laughed.

"What's wrong with that?" I questioned, trying to focus on the conversation and making sure I didn't crash into anything, which was easier said than done.

"I never thought you would say something was insane," Nagase told me with amusement.

"I _did_ think some things were insane, I just never said them," I retorted.

"Well, then, that's just rude. Here we are thinking you're not sane thinking things are insane when really you are sane thinking things are insane," Grimm said.

Silence…

"What?" Nagase, Pops, and I asked at the same time.

"Never mind," Grimm muttered. We laughed as we continued flying through the narrow cave.

"It's just barely wide enough for us to pass through!" Nagase said.

"Barely is a bit of an understatement," I replied.

We rounded a sharp corner; I only just made it without crashing into the wall. It was getting darker in the cave now, making it almost impossible to see.

"How can you fly like that?! That's not human!" Grimm exclaimed.

"Hey, hey, easy. You're giving me way too much credit," Pops said.

Nagase and Grimm were right behind me. Pops was a little ways ahead of us and I lost sight of him when he rounded a corner.

"Stay low, or you'll graze the ceiling!" Nagase cautioned.

"No kidding. I've almost crashed into these blasted walls to many times to count," I said in disgust. "Nagase, Grimm, fall back into a single file line. This cave is getting even narrower."

Nagase got directly behind me while Grimm got behind her. This cave shrunk in all directions. The ceiling came down lower, the floor came up higher, and the sides came in closer. It was kind of claustrophobic to tell you the truth. On top of all that, there was barely any light which didn't help in the least. If I could pull through this without crashing, I think I could pretty much pull off anything.

"Keep a wide field of vision," Pops suggested. I tried it… it worked. "Right, that's it."

We rounded yet another corner. I wanted to check on Kirk but I didn't dare. Not with the highly possible and highly likely chance that I could/would crash into the rock.

"I knew you could do it. You've all become excellent pilots," Pops praised.

"Thank you sir," We answered simultaneously. I realized we did that a lot.

"I can see the exit," Nagase breathed in relief. "There's the open sky on the other side!"

"Come home to mama!" I laughed gleefully. I was about to be home free again.

"The exit! The light's blinding me!" Grimm announced.

It was burning my eyes, the severe transition from dark to light. But I didn't care. All I cared about was that when we came back out of that cave, the jamming was gone, and the 8492nd was nowhere in sight. Whether I should've been worried about that or not, I wasn't sure. I was to glad to be away from Sand Island. It felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulder and for that alone, I was glad.

"This is Edge. Are we still being pursued?"

"I'm not sure. They're not appearing on radar but that doesn't really mean anything."

"Roger. Looks like we can relax a little."

"This is Thunderhead. What happened to the 8492nd? We're seeing the traitors on the radar again."

"There they are again," Grimm commented wearily.

Freaking hell. Can we not get one little, tiny break from being pursued or being called traitors or being accused of something we didn't do. Good god, we have the worst luck.

The four of us went up to higher altitude. The island was disappearing behind us quickly. The 8492nd were still nowhere to be found on my radar… not that I was complaining.

"This is Swordsman. I just found 'em. So now I just shoot 'em down?"

I could see Swordsman approaching head-on form the north. No way was I going now. I tried to fire missiles in hopes that the plane might actually be equipped with missiles and I didn't know it but Pops had been right. This plane wasn't equipped with missiles. However, I kept hitting the 'fire' button. It made me feel better.

"Exactly," Hamilton said.

"Screw you Hamilton," I spat.

"He's not really our enemy," Pops said.

"Who? Swordsman or Hamilton?" Nagase asked.

"Swordsman."

"Ah."

"Nagase, Hamilton kind of tried to kill us. I doubt that was all for show," I pointed out.

"Oh hush. I'm sleep deprived. Cut me some slack," Nagase snapped.

"We're _all_ sleep deprived," I said.

Swordsman flew past us in his usual F14-D. Jealously struck me. I was in a midget plane and he was flying a giant plane. I don't like midget planes, I like big ones that when you're coming head on with enemy planes, they want to run at the sight of you in your giant plane.

… I have issues, don't I?

Swordsman got behind us just far enough away to where he couldn't get a missile lock on us but close enough where we could still see him. A signal light started flashing our way.

"It's a signal light," Grimm informed. We watched intently so that we could decipher the message.

"Trust… me… bail… out… he wants us to bail out?" Grimm asked, astounded.

"We're not that stupid," Nagase laughed humorlessly.

"What say we trust him, then?" Pops said.

"I trust him. He would've shot us down by now if he was really planning on killing us," I pointed out.

"Cassie says you're all lunatics and that the world has gone insane," Grimm informed. I merely smiled. The world had been insane for quite some time, we just figuring it out now.

"Genette, you first," Pops said. Pops and Genette were ejected from Pops' plane. A missile, shot by Swordsman, hit Pops' plane. The plane went down in a fiery mass.

"Swordsman to Thunderhead. Splash one."

"Tracked on radar. Kill confirmed," Thunderhead replied.

Nagase went next, then Grimm and Cassie ejected.

"Just one left," Swordsman snarled. Either Swordsman was a really good actor or he thoroughly enjoyed shooting us down. I was hoping it was the former one.

I hit the eject button and Kirk and I shot upward. All I saw was blue but somehow I managed to keep a careful watch on Kirk. He barked in protest a few times but then he was silent. Pops was waiting below to catch Kirk. Kirk landed a few yards from Pops but Genette had a hold of him. I made my graceful splash landing next to Grimm and Nagase. Our planes crashed into the ocean just a little ways from us. We were close enough to be pushed by semi-big waves.

The water was freezing since it was December. My flight suit kept me somewhat warm but my teeth were still chattering.

I could see two helicopters in the distance. I could tell it was an Osean craft. It was heading from the north, not the southwest which is the direction Sand Island was in, so I had hope that they were on our side.

"This is Pix. I do not see any floating debris in the water." The mic on our helmets still worked, which I was thankful for.

"Image faded from radar. All planes destroyed," Thunderhead said.

"You'd better give me a medal for this later," Swordsman warned.

The helicopters approached us quickly. By then I was shivering so bad, my vision was shaking. I ducked down in the water though as the helicopters came closer, just leaving it where I could breathe through my nose.

"This is Sea Goblin. We have found the floating remains of the destroyed aircraft in the water… I don't see any of the crew… It looks like they couldn't eject and sank with their planes."

"Roger Sea Goblin. Return to base," Thunderhead ordered.

"All right, let's go," A man from Sea Goblin said with friendliness. "We've got a new home waiting for you."

A man dropped down and one by one, we were lifted into the two helicopters. Kirk was lifted first, then Pops since he was Kirk's owner. Genette was lifted next. Grimm, Nagase, and Cassie were lifted onto the second helicopter while I was hoisted up onto the first helicopter with Genette and Pops and Kirk. A blanket was placed around me immediately but my shivering was practically uncontrollable. Genette, even though he was shivering severely as well, tried to help me up, but the co-pilot made him sit down and helped me sit down next to Genette. They shut the side doors to the helicopter and we flew to the north. I leaned forward so I could see through the window to see the second helicopter.

I could see Nagase, Grimm, and Cassie sitting huddled together. Grimm looked out, saw me, and waved with a smile. I returned it. I leaned back, exhaustion taking over me. That's when I heard the briefer from Sand Island come over the radio. My eyes snapped open.

"All planes from the Sand Island detachment were shot down by naval jets from the carrier Kestrel. Likewise, all of the pilots are confirmed dead."

"Relax Blaze, we're safe now," Pops assured. I nodded but exhaustion started consuming me again. I closed my eyes because I couldn't fight it anymore. It had been almost twenty-four hours since the last time I had slept. I was sleep deprived, I was cold, and I was finally safe.

I woke up when I realized I was gently being lifted out of the helicopter. I freaked out. My eyes snapped open and I thrashed, trying to get away. It worked but I also succeeded in hitting my head on the side edge of the entrance to the helicopter. I was dazed and my vision made me think I was in a washing machine.

"Blaze!" I heard Genette's voice call out. My vision cleared and he was by my side. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. What happened? Where are we? Where's Nagase? And Grimm? And Cassie? And Pops? And Kirk? Are you okay?" The questions spilled off my tongue.

"Easy Blaze, we're all fine. You were still sacked out so the pilots lifted you out of there to bring you to the infirmary. You flipped out on them and hit your head."

I realized two men were standing next to me as well.

"Sorry?"I said looking up at them, hoping they would forgive me. They laughed.

"I've never seen someone so asleep wake up and fight like that. You have my respect girl," The pilot said. I smiled bashfully. Genette and the pilots helped me up. I assured them I was well enough to walk on my own to the infirmary where the doctor told me all I needed was some food and a good night's sleep, which is exactly what I planned to do.

I was led to my cabin. It was bare but cozy. There were some jeans, a long sleeve t-shirt, a coat, some gloves, shampoo, conditioner, a brush, a hairdryer, and, my god, make up! It was just liquid foundation, powder, and mascara, but good lord, I was so thankful right then and there that there was makeup, I could've screamed. There was also a toothbrush along with some toothpaste, a towel, some bath soap, and some pajamas. I took a quick shower, got dressed, dried my hair, brushed my teeth and went to bed. Chopper was there to greet me in my dreams.

* * *

**Genette**

**Kirwin Island, December 8, 2010, 1630 hrs, on the OFS Kestrel…**

I walked up to the bridge where Captain Andersen was.

Captain Andersen: the man who commanded the aircraft carrier Kestrel and kept her aloft through countless battles.

He was a tall man, with graying hair. He had a sharp look in his eyes, telling me he was always alert.

"Hello Captain Andersen," I greeted with a salute, even though he wasn't facing me. He turned around with a smile.

"Hello, Mr. Banks," Andersen replied.

"You can call me Genette. Everybody does, sir," I said.

"Alright then, Genette. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"I just wanted to come up here and see what it's like to look at everything from up here," I said. "I also wanted to meet you, the captain that's kept the Kestrel afloat for so many years."

"Nahh… I'm just a guy who's fought one losing battle after another," Andersen said with a sad smile.

"What do you mean?"

He just smiled.

However, sine this war began, this ship hadn't taken a single hit from enemy forces.

I took his silence as my cue to leave and I headed back down to where they launched the aircraft where Blaze, Nagase, Grimm, and Cassie were. I heard footsteps behind me. Turning around, I saw it was Andersen. I smiled before continuing down the steps. Grimm was playing the harmonica with Cassie sitting next to him listening intently. Blaze was leaning up against the wall reading a book with Kirk stretched out over her legs. Nagase was drinking coffee while she stared out at the sea and mountains surrounding us. I went over to join her. She smiled at me as I approached. For the first time since Chopper died, I felt safe. Chopper's death seemed to have unleashed a pent up fury that had been waiting for the right time. Oh it came at the right time all right, but not for us.

I pushed the depressing thoughts from my mind and concentrated on the sense that I was safe… for now.

* * *

**Pops**

I stood at the edge of the OFS Kestrel with Captain Andersen. He wasn't much older than me except by three or four years if I was correct.

Captain Snow was standing next to his plane, examining it. The two helicopters that had rescued us were just a little ways behind Snow's plane. Blaze, Nagase, Genette, Cassie, and Grimm were in a group near the wall. Grimm's harmonica playing was attracting some attention because he was pretty good.

The water glistened in the bright sunlight while seagulls cried overhead. I was just making sure none of them needed a target for target practice meaning I was making sure they didn't poop on my head.

"Andersen," I said.

"Beagle," Andersen replied.

"How are you?"

"Fairly well. I'm troubled over how many ships we've lost," Andersen admitted.

"At least the Kestrel is unharmed," I said.

"This ship may be unharmed, but it pains me to see fewer and fewer pilots coming back every time we launch them out on combat sorties. Now the only pilot left is Captain Snow, the squad leader. Nobody wants an aircraft carrier without aircraft, so we're just sitting idle here."

I was quiet for a few seconds, trying to decide whether or not I should tell Andersen what I was about to tell for fear I couldn't trust him. However, I realized he had jeopardized his career for us and I figured if I could trust him with rescuing, I could trust him with this.

"At the end of the last war, I was assigned the mission of dropping a nuclear weapon on a city in my own country. When I refused and went AWOL, it was Captain Bartlett who took me in. His nickname was also "Kid" back then," I said, turning around to look at Blaze. She was completely engrossed with the book she was reading. Turning back around, I continued. "He was a strange man… Fifteen years since the war and he never got promoted once.

"In my country, there was a group called the 'Grey Men.' They're likely to still be around today. To them, I'm a traitor, and for the past fifteen years, Bartlett's protected me from them."

There was silence as we both thought about what I had just said. It still seemed strange to me that I, over a decade older than Bartlett, have had to rely on him to protect me. In Belka, you always had to rely on the older person, not the younger. Some of my ideals and beliefs still stuck with me after all these years.

"Speaking of which," I began, turning to Captain Andersen, "You don't think the 'Grey Men' are involved with the disappearance of President Harling do you?"

"I've got an intelligence-gathering vessel in my fleet, the Andromeda, that's capable of intercepting all forms of communications," Andersen said. I was wondering where he was going with this because it wasn't answering my question. "Recently, it picked up a secret message transmitted in Belkan. That, Colonel, is why I called all of you here."

It didn't really answer my question but when Andersen didn't know something, he chose not to answer rather than say "I don't know." However, I understood why he chose us to come here. Mainly it was because of me seeing as how I'm really the only Belkan on Sand Island that truly worked for Osea and not Belka. Then, Blaze, Grimm, and Nagase were the morale of the entire Osean Army. It made sense that Andersen would want them here too.

"All this intense flying's tough on an old body," I said, patting my chest. "From here on out… it's their time to shine."

Andersen and I turned to look at the Wardog Squad. I felt a certain pride well up in me as I looked at the young squadron before me. They were special for many reasons. The first being that they were able to survive this whole ordeal, the second being they had a female as captain because that was extremely rare, and the third being was that they were the youngest squadron in Osean history. Well, they used to be at least when Chopper had been a part of the group. Still, they were one of the youngest squadrons. Now, what made them all the more special was that they were seen as a threat by a single country dead set on crushing two super countries. Now they were seen as enemies of Osea _and _Yuktobania. For four planes to be seen as a threat by Osean, Yuktobanian, _and_ Belkan, that was no small matter.

I smiled as I saw Kirk running away with Grimm's harmonica and Grimm, Cassie, Blaze, Nagase, and Genette were chasing after Kirk trying to get it back.

"Mmm," Andersen hummed in agreement.

Turning back around, I asked the question that had been nagging me ever since we had arrived. "But what'll we do about planes?"

"We've captured a ship trying to smuggle aircraft from a South Belkan company into Yuktobania. Plenty of planes to choose from," Andersen replied.

"Good. Well, I best go see if I can Kirk to give Grimm his harmonica back." I said goodbye to Captain Andersen and went off to search for Kirk and the Wardog Squad who had disappeared inside.

* * *

**Well there it is, the twenty-second chapter. I just realized it's been a month since I've updated and that is unacceptable. Of course, with finals coming up, it will probably be another month again unfortunately but I will try to make sure that it's not a month! Anyways, please review!**


	23. Ancient Walls

**Hey y'all! I'm so glad I was able to update this much more quickly than the last chapter. Having it take one month to update is unacceptable. Well, without further ado, here is the next chapter. Fair warning, this one might be a really long.**

**Quote of the Chapter:**

"**In war, truth is the first casualty."**

**~Aeschylus**

* * *

Chapter 23: Ancient Walls

**December 9, 2010, 0430 Hrs, OSS Kestrel…**

**Snow's POV**

"Mr. Banks," I said loudly. Albert Genette Banks turned around to look at me.

"Hello Mr. Snow," He replied. "And call me Genette. Everyone does."

"Okay. Listen, I have a favor to ask. Could you go wake up your sister please? I would wake her myself but I feel that she would rather have someone she's familiar with rather than someone she just met wake her up. I've met her a few times but only enough to say we're acquainted with each other."

"No problem. I was headed that way anyway. Where do you need her to be?" Genette asked.

"She needs to be in the briefing room in fifteen minutes. We're about to head out on a sortie."

"Will do. She'll be there soon… if she can find the place," Genette laughed. I laughed as well.

"Thank you Genette." I waved before heading off to the briefing room. I was the first one there. The briefing didn't start for fifteen minutes but I had wanted to talk to Pops and Andersen about whom was going to be captain of our new squadron.

"Good morning, sirs," I greeted, saluting them.

"At ease, soldier. And good morning to you as well," Andersen replied.

"Good morning, Captain Snow," Pops answered.

"The briefing does not start for another fifteen minutes. What brings you here early?" Andersen inquired.

"Sir, I came here early because I was wondering who was going to be captain of our squadron."

"That is still being discussed. Since Nagase and Grimm have been under Blaze's command for most of the war, we think that they will be reluctant to change. However, you have more experience with flying with a squadron than Blaze. We're still unsure of what to do. What would you prefer?"

"I can see both sides of the argument but because of Nagase and Grimm, I think it best that Blaze stays captain although I think we should consult her about this as well. If she does not want to be captain, I will gladly fill the position," I replied honestly.

"Very well. Before you launch out on the sortie, we will talk to Blaze and get her opinion. You will remain while we do," Pops told me.

"Yes, sir." I was reluctant to be there when they were asking Blaze because I didn't want her to feel forced to say a certain answer or anything but I understood why.

"Good. You're dismissed," Andersen said. He returned looking at the computer Pops was at. I sat down in my regular chair at the end of the row and stared at the map on the screen. It showed the whole world and on the map, everything looked so small. It seemed ironic to me that Belka, one of the smallest countries in the world, was one of the most dangerous countries. I mean, Osea was nearly five or six times bigger than Belka and yet Belka could easily defeat us if Osea didn't have as many allies as it did… or if it didn't have Blaze and Nagase and Grimm and Chopper… and now (I hope) me.

Around 0440, Genette entered with Nagase, Grimm and Cassie. They all greeted me with friendly hellos, which I returned. It had been a while since I had people of my own ilk, meaning fighter pilots, to talk to. I could sense that they were tired and wary though so I didn't push the conversation any further. I knew that they would talk to me when they wanted to. They had been through a lot. It was going to take a while for them to warm up to me, especially since I was taking Chopper's place, which none of them thought was going to ever be open.

"How are you Swordsman?" Cassie asked. I was rather shocked that she had started talking to me but I replied, "I'm well. And you?"

"I'm alright, but super tired. I don't know how people can wake up this early and be all happy and cheerful. It's not natural," Cassie rambled. I laughed. Grimm, Nagase, and Genette were grinning too. I guess they were used to Cassie rambling.

It was 0445 and Blaze still hadn't come.

"Where is Blaze?" Pops asked, not looking up from the screen.

"Good question. I told her to be here by 445," Genette answered. We waited for a few more minutes and finally, at 0455, Blaze came busting into the room.

"Morning Pops, morning Andersen!" Blaze greeted, catching her breath.

"Morning Blaze… are you alright?" Pops questioned curiously.

"This place is hard as hell to find, that's all. I've been going up and down flights of stairs for almost twenty minutes. Alright, let's get the briefing started." Blaze sheepishly shuffled over to her seat which was at the other end of the row.

"Morning y'all," She greeted bashfully as she walked past us. We all smiled in amusement.

Pops stood up, also smiling as well. Blaze must be known to make quite an entrance from time to time. Pops faced and said, "All right… if there aren't any objections, then I'll take command of this air operation."

"Anyone who objects to the person who is the reason that my squad and I survived needs to be locked in a mental institute," Blaze said. We all laughed as Blaze just shrugged sheepishly. "What? It's the truth!"

"Thanks Blaze," Pops laughed.

"Anytime."

The briefer regained his composure, the lights dimmed, and he began the briefing. "We're launching a rescue operation for the President of Osea within the principality of Belka. The communications intelligence ship Andromeda received information that President Harling is being held in Belka. The location is an old castle positioned on the southern edge of the border zone between Belka and North Osea. Sea Goblin, our helicopter squadron, will handle the direct rescue effort. After scouring the area, a helicopter will descend on the castle and drop our infiltrating squad. It will station keep the air while the rescue is taking place on the ground and in the castle. Your mission is to provide air support for the Sea Goblin's rescue operation and destroy any opposing enemy forces. Choose an aircraft for the mission from the Kestrel's carrier jets, and prepare to launch.

Operation: Keynote

Location: Stier Castle

Date: 2010/12/09

Time: 0500 HRS.

The lights turned back on, leaving most of us squinting. We got up to leave when Pops ordered me and Blaze to stay. Blaze looked at me with a look of confusion on her face and she gave me a shrug. So she didn't know what was happening.

When Nagase, Grimm, Cassie, and Genette had left, Blaze and I walked up to Pops and Andersen.

"What's this about sir?" Blaze inquired.

"This is about who is going to be the captain of the squadron," Pops replied.

"Captain Snow should. This is his carrier. He knows the ropes… I don't," Blaze answered immediately.

"Captain Snow thought it would be better if you were captain since Nagase and Grimm have been under your wing for so long," Pops countered. Blaze started bit her lip.

"I didn't think about that," Blaze said quietly. "It is up to Captain Snow because I know what you mean about Nagase and Grimm. I'm sure they wouldn't mind having a change of captain but I'd rather not find out what would happen if they did."

"In all honesty, I would rather you, Blaze, be captain. I like your style of flying and I would rather not mess up the chemistry in the team by becoming captain. I'm already messing it up by being the new guy on the squad. I'm happy to be a wingman," I admitted. Blaze smiled at me.

"You're not messing up the chemistry at all. You're balancing it out again. We missed having a fourth wingman. I do have to warn you about something though," Blaze said.

"What is it?"

"Are you able to keep up with random conversations?" I looked at her bewilderedly.

"Uh, yeah," I said, unsure of how I was supposed to respond.

"Good, then you'll fit in just fine," Blaze said with a smile, patting me on the shoulder. "Come on; let's go get us some planes."

Blaze walked out of the briefing room with me at her heels.

"What type of plane do you like to fly?" Blaze queried.

"I like the F-14s," I answered.

"Me too," Blaze agreed. We walked the rest of the way to the aircraft carrier we captured in silence. Nagase and Grimm were already there.

"Hey Blaze. What are we taking?" Nagase asked.

"Well, I just spotted some F-14s so I think we will take the F-14D," Blaze decided.

"All of us?" I asked.

"All of us. Having the same planes creates a real tough look when you're going head-on with an enemy. Scares them crapless for some reason," Blaze said with a perplexed look. "Alright, everyone, hop to your planes. Shoo, go."

I smirked at her way of ordering around. While she was funny about it, you also knew, for some reason, not to disobey. I don't know whether it was because she was female or if you just had so much respect for her or what, but I felt like I didn't want to disobey.

It felt weird to me that I was being bossed around by someone younger than me because usually, the older you are, the higher rank you have. Blaze was only in her mid-twenties. To be the leader of a squadron was an impressive feat.

We hopped into our planes and waited to take off on the catapult.

* * *

**Blaze's POV  
**

I was raised on a platform to the top of the ship with one of the Kestrel's crew members saying "… raising pressure. Seventy, eighty ninety. Point fifteen, forty-eight, thirty-two, confirm. Roger."

I had no idea what the hell all those numbers meant.

"We're good to go, Sir!" Another member shouted. A man on a cart with another man riding on the back of the cart and a man running behind the cart passed in front of me.

"Ready to launch anytime!" A crew member announced.

"Fighters, launch! Flight deck to all flight crews."

"Hurry up, we got more coming!"

"This is the flight deck," A crew member said as I pulled up to the catapult.

"Roger that, Sir."

"Takeoff complete." I looked up to see Nagase flying to catch up to Snow and Grimm.

Have I ever told you how much I hate takeoff and landing on ships? No? Well, ironically, I aced the landing and takeoff at the academy but that was sheer luck and I studied day in and day out about how to land and takeoff. Landing was the scariest.

"Catapult one raising pressure," A crew member said. "Eighty, ninety… we're in the green zone."

"Check catapults! Raise the barriers!"

"Blaze, you are cleared to take off," The carrier controller announced.

"Yes, sir," I replied. I hit my accelerator and within a few seconds, my plane shot off on the short runway and over the ocean. My plane dipped, making my stomach drop which scared me for a minute but then I pulled up into a steep climb, making my way towards the head of my squadron. I realized we still didn't have a name yet.

At three thousand feet, the carrier controller said, "Blaze, altitude restrictions cancelled. Return to your mission. Good luck!"

"Thanks!" I answered with a sigh.

**Stier Castle, Belka, 1611 hrs…**

**Snow's POV**

* * *

"Do you read me? You guys should have sight of the castle by now," Pops said.

"Yes, sir," Blaze replied as we flew over one of the seven craters that was the remnant of one of the seven nukes that exploded fifteen years ago. It seemed somewhat small to me but I was pretty sure that it was an illusion.

"Sea Goblin's gonna descend for an insertion so can you take out the air defense batteries for them?" Pops asked.

"Of course, sir," Blaze answered without hesitation.

"Take your time and be thorough. You don't want to leave any standing."

In perfect formation, we flew towards the castle. A massive lake was in front of the castle, a startling dark blue against the snowy white terrain.

"Man, I knew that this place lacked greenness but this is ridiculous!" Blaze exclaimed. I had to agree with her. Everywhere you looked there was white, black, gray, or blue (if you looked at the lake). Even the pine trees looked more black than green. It was creepy.

"I'm with you there," I agreed.

"Alright, let's do this. Being in this place scares the heebie-jeebies out of me," Blaze ordered. I chuckled. Most captains I know would've used a different other than "heebie-jeebies" to describe how they were scared.

Blaze flew down in a steep decline towards an AA gun. She fired a missile at it before leveling out and firing another missile at another AA gun. That girl had skill.

"This is Sea Goblin. Is Captain Nagase there?"

"Yeah. Your team rescued me from that mountain in the snowstorm," Nagase replied.

"That helicopter ride was pretty comfy, eh? Hey, you ever wanna transfer here, lemme know," the guy said smoothly.

"Uh, thanks for the offer, but I'll be sticking to fighter jets," Nagase chuckled nervously.

"Besides, I won't let you leave Nagase," Blaze chirped.

"I know," Nagase laughed.

"Hey, what happened to that motormouth? He's real quiet today," a guy from Sea Goblin pointed out. I had been hoping none of them would bring Chopper up, but of course, they did.

"He… he's… not here," Nagase stammered. She had barely been able to get it out. I heard a shaky sigh over the mic. I could tell it was Blaze.

"You all right Blaze?" Grimm inquired softly.

"… Yeah," Blaze answered quietly.

The four of us elapsed into silence as we flew all over the place destroying target after target. There were SAMs, AA guns, and tanks all over the place. It was rather impressive I had to say.

I went down in altitude and destroyed two SAMs perched on pedestals at the entrance of the castle. Grimm had gone out to the surrounding area with Nagase to destroy the incoming SAMs and AA guns and tanks. Blaze was with me, taking out the ground installations near the castle. Whatever escaped Grimm and Nagase (which very few did) was left to me and Blaze.

It didn't take us long to destroy the anti-aircraft fire in the immediate vicinity of the castle.

"All anti-aircraft fire suppressed," Nagase announced. "We'll continue protecting the helicopter and infiltration forces."

"Our guys are B.A," Blaze said out of the blue.

"Why's that?" I asked.

"They are rescuing the President in castle that witnessed seven nuclear explosions and is sure to be haunted by a ghost or two," Blaze responded casually.

"What makes them more B.A? The explosions or the ghosts?" Grimm asked. I could tell he was grinning.

"The ghosts, of course. I hope Casper the Friendly Ghost is there to help out our guys… or maybe Peeves from Harry Potter is there and he'll drop dung on the Belkans' heads!" Blaze exclaimed.

"You've officially lost it Blaze," Nagase laughed.

"Nagase, I'm disappointed in you," Blaze said.

"Why's that?" Nagase asked.

"I lost my mind many, many, many, many, many, many missions ago. Not this one. I expected you to know me better than that," Blaze answered solemnly, although you could tell she was joking.

"Why don't you add another "many" in there. I don't think there was enough," Nagase said.

"I lost my mind many, many, many, many, many, many… that's six… many, many missions ago. Better Nagase?"

"I should never have said anything. I knew you'd take my meaning literally," Nagase muttered. Blaze cracked up over the mic.

"Nixie, you guys drop first and take up an overwatch position of the area," a soldier from Sea Goblin ordered.

"Boy, what a dreary place," Another soldier commented.

"You said it," Blaze agreed wholeheartedly.

"Man, why can't we be deployed to a tropical island for a change?" A soldier complained.

"Trust me, tropical islands are not always that great. If you have to run, and you're not a pilot, the only place you're running to is into the water… with sharks… and barracudas… and those psychotic mermaids from Pirates of the Caribbean Four," Blaze replied.

"Wow Blaze," Grimm said.

"Well, it's true, they're psychotic," Blaze defended.

"Yeah, but I think they live in the warm oceans, not in icy lakes. Or else they couldn't swim with those bikini tops on," Grimm countered.

"Grimm, they weren't wearing any tops in the movie," Blaze pointed out.

"They weren't?"

"Nope. I think you were too busy putting your arm around Cassie to notice."

"I probably was."

"Grimm, if you didn't notice that the mermaids had no tops on because you were too busy putting your arm around your girlfriend, then you truly are whipped," I said.

"I know I am," Grimm replied.

We elapsed into silence once more, flying every which way trying to destroy any and all anti-aircraft fire.

I didn't like being here. The memories of those seven nukes exploding were enough to make any person, man or woman, quiver like an aspen tree. It was a terrifying memory that engulfed everyone one that had witnessed it all those fifteen years ago.

"It's a dismal castle, standing over a lifeless land," I observed, talking more to myself than anyone else.

"This is what the end of the world must look like…" Nagase added. "Even the air over these lands is heavy from the memories of Belka…"

"They're almost unbearable…" Blaze said quietly. There was a tone in her voice that told me there was more to her statement than the mere memory of the nukes. However, I dared not ask. We may be team members, but I was still the newbie in the group. She would not be open with me. By the sound of it, she had never been that open with anyone… except Chopper.

"We'll be meeting the President himself. Make sure you look sharp!" A soldier from Sea Goblin shouted.

Grimm flew in a big circle, scouting the terrain, above and below. As he flew over the spot where one of the seven nukes exploded, he said, "Those are the scars left behind when seven Belkan towns evaporated… Nothing's moving down there. It's like the earth itself is dead… I can almost see the bad vibes circling around that castle…"

"I wouldn't be surprised, after witnessing seven nuclear explosions," Nagase agreed.

"I don't know how the Belkans could've done that. How could they kill their own people?" Blaze demanded quietly. None of us knew the answer so we were silent and focused on the task at hand. Nagase and Grimm were flying in a circular perimeter around the castle. Blaze and I were flying any which way, finding any enemies that were in our forces' way.

"The wind's pretty strong. Don't let our rotors hit the castle," A Sea Goblin soldier warned. "All right, guys! Move out!"

"Hey, we got a line back here, hurry up and jump!" Another soldier shouted. I heard annoyed grumbling.

"Hurry up and get going before I start shooting somebody!" A captain shouted. I heard a lot of shuffling and when I looked towards the helicopter, men were jumping out like crazy (probably because they didn't want to find out if their captain had been serious).

"An enemy ground force unit is mobilizing reinforcements," A Sea Goblin soldier announced gravely as I scanned the ground for enemies. None were in sight.

"Roger. Intercept the reinforcements and keep them from getting to the fight," Pops commanded. "I'm counting on you."

"Yes, sir," the four of us responded simultaneously.

"Enemy tanks also emerging from the castle. Should we split up and engage them?" Grimm questioned.

"Yes, disperse," Blaze ordered.

The four of us went solo, even though we had really been flying solo in the beginning. However, now the disperse order was known, so we could do whatever we wanted.

"This is Colbynau. Proceed with infiltration at the castle!"

"I'll support the invasion effort at the castle," Nagase suggested.

"I will as well," Blaze added as I swooped down and in one swift stroke, destroyed to AA guns. Blaze was pulling daring moves when she was firing at the ground enemies but she always managed to pull up in time before crashing into the ground or the water or the castle.

"The stone structures inside this castle are quite impressive," A soldier on the ground commented.

"It feels like there's more than just our enemies lurking in this place," Another soldier muttered.

"Ha! I knew someone would agree with me!" Blaze exclaimed enthusiastically.

"With what?" I inquired, utterly confused at her sudden outburst.

"That there are ghosts in the castle," Blaze explained, as if it should've been obvious.

"Maybe he is thinking there are leprechauns," I suggested.

"Swordsman, you just won my utmost respect," Blaze said.

"How?"

"You just made the conversation even more random than it already was."

"I'm honored."

Blaze chuckled and we continued with our flying. Nagase and Grimm shot past me, both of them destroying tanks that had come to defend the castle.

"The enemy will probably detect is soon enough," A soldier said.

"There's a cable running along here. Let's see where it goes," A different soldier said.

"The road is blocked by burning vehicles." I knew that was an enemy. So the enemy was finally starting to talk.

"Don't step on the stone floors. Your footsteps will echo all over the place," a soldier, one of ours, warned.

"We're getting an unfriendly welcome from outside the castle, too! Razgriz, can you show them some of the same?" One of our soldiers asked, although there was a hint of begging.

"Why not?" Blaze said nonchalantly. I heard a few cheers over the mic. Blaze certainly had a way of winning the soldiers' hearts.

"Thanks. Teach them that it's only polite to respond in kind!"

Blaze laughed before shooting past me at speeds I've never even thought about reaching in my plane, afraid that it would spontaneously combust (knowing my luck).

After a few seconds, I realized that the four of us were having to destroy more and more enemies, leaving me to one conclusion.

"The enemy's probably detected them by now. They'll begin a counterattack soon," I announced gravely.

"And they have us to go through. I wish them the best of luck," Blaze said.

I got behind two tanks and while I fired two missiles at one of the tanks, I fired my guns at the other. Both of them exploded at about the same time.

"Engaging enemy in the castle! They've got armored troops, too!" A soldier shouted.

"Could this get any worse?" Blaze mumbled, her sudden mood the complete antithesis of earlier.

"I've got hits on my radar. Enemy aircraft inbound," Nagase informed.

"Yep, it can," Blaze grumbled. "Why do I bother asking a stupid question like that?"

"Fighter jets? Don't tell me they've got their own fighter jets, too," A soldier said warily.

"That's affirmartive. They're definitely fighters," Nagase said grimly.

"Swordsman, you're with me taking care of the incoming enemy fighters. Grimm, Nagase-"

"We've got the ground," Nagase assured.

"I have such an amazing team," Blaze said, and I knew she was smiling. I turned my head to try and find an enemy plane. A shadow loomed over my plane and there was Blaze… upside down and waving at me; I waved back, laughing. She pulled up and together, we went head-on with the first wave of enemy planes in the distance while Nagase and Grimm dealt with the ground enemies.

"Switch to special weapons, Snow," Blaze commanded.

"Switching," I said. I knew her strategy and it was a good one. When we were around fourteen-thousand feet away, we locked onto our targets with XLAA missiles (Advanced Long-range Air-to-Air missile). We pulled up simultaneously; I watched the four enemy blips on my radar disappear.

"First wave of enemy planes is fried," Blaze announced. We turned in another direction to engage more enemy fighters.

"Guess they used the money from Osea and Yuktobania to supply their own forces. Just protect that helicopter," An Osean soldier sighed.

"Trust me, we will," Blaze assured.

"Hey, fighter jets! Where were they hiding those?"A different soldier asked.

"Have you not been listening to our conversation this whole time?" I asked incredulously. The guy didn't respond.

"We don't stand a chance against them. Hey, time for you guys to step in!" A soldier shouted.

"You better not be talking about us," Blaze growled.

"Do something about the tanks in the castle! The infiltration force is taking casualties!" A soldier cried out.

"Nagase, Grimm, you heard them," Blaze said.

"Holy shiiiiayaya!" Blaze exclaimed. "How the hell did you get behind me? Get away! I warn you, I have some killer wingmen… literally bucko. So get off my tail before I tell them to get you!"

Whether the enemy heard Blaze or not, he coincidentally disengaged her and started heading for Grimm and Nagase; I started to turn my plane to go after the enemy but Blaze was already trailing it.

"Where did you bastards fly from?" I demanded.

"That's a very good question… to which I have no answer to," Blaze answered nonchalantly. "Hey, Nagase, what was that quote you always used to say before we went on a sortie at Heierlark?"

"All we can do is do what we can with everything we've got," Nagase replied.

"That's it! Sorry, I don't know why that suddenly popped into my head," Blaze apologized sheepishly.

"I've learned not to question your random randomness," Nagase said.

Blaze went up to a higher altitude and got behind an enemy fighter. She trailed it relentlessly. I could only imagine the string of cuss words leaving the enemy pilot's mouth. Blaze was the hound, the enemy was fox. I knew how this was going to turn out.

Sure enough, Blaze fired a missile and it hit the dead center of the enemy plane. The plane fell helplessly towards the ground.

"Shoot down the enemy fighters. Lure them up to a higher altitude," an enemy pilot sneered.

"Gladly. Just so you know, I'm more dangerous the higher up I am," Blaze admitted. She and I shot up. At around ten thousand feet, I leveled out and started to engage an enemy fighter while the remaining to enemy planes kept chasing after Blaze who continued to climb to a higher altitude. She went to fifteen thousand, then twenty thousand, then twenty five, and finally to thirty. I could see her plane stall and then fall back towards the ground nose first. Two missiles were fired from her plane, as well as from the enemy planes. Blaze pulled up but the enemy planes weren't so lucky. Because of their momentum going up, they went headlong into the missiles. I didn't look at the explosions long enough to find out if the pilots ejected or not.

"Blaze? You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, fine," Blaze replied, sounding breathy.

"If we don't defeat the enemy, our forces inside the castle will be in danger," Nagase warned.

"Do y'all need help?" Blaze inquired, heading down towards the ground. However, two enemy planes flew beneath her and she engaged them. I helped her. Together, we trailed the two enemy planes. They split up, so did Blaze and I.

"Drossel Three, enemy plane at you six o' clock! Break!" An enemy yelled.

"I've got my hands full just trying to get them off my tail!" Another enemy shouted back. I fired a missile and it hit the plane easily. I turned to see Blaze already heading back to towards Nagase and Grimm, her enemy plane falling in a fiery blaze toward the ground.

"Call for reinforcements. They're gonna get away!" An enemy soldier on the ground ordered frantically. We must've been making headway.

"Who are those pilots?" An enemy fighter questioned, almost sounding scared.

"Will your worst nightmare work?" Blaze chirped.

"We're demons," I said.

"Amen!" Grimm agreed.

"God, could someone help me with this blasted tank? It won't freaking blow-up!" Nagase sighed in frustration.

"Whoa, Nagase is actually getting angry about something!" Grimm said, sounding shocked.

"Shut up Grimm," Nagase muttered.

"Nagase, I have to agree with Grimm. I've never seen or heard you lose your temper like that," Blaze pointed out. "And I've known you for a while."

"Well maybe I just am getting a tad frustrated and my best friends aren't helping the situation here because they're in shock that I can get mad at something and actually show it," Nagase retorted.

"That made no sense whatsoever but okay. I'm coming down to help you as soon as I can," Blaze said.

I hadn't really followed Nagase's miniature rant either but I did get that she was mad that this tank wouldn't blow up and that we weren't helping by being shocked that she could get mad at something.

"By the way, our helicopter's okay, right?" A Sea Goblin G asked worriedly.

"We demons got it," Blaze assured.

"Keep that thing safe until we get back with the President. That's his limousine."

"Aye aye Captain," Blaze said. Since I was flying right next to her, I looked over when she said that, just to see if she was saluting… she was. "So what's the status down there?"

"We got glass falling down from the ceiling!" A soldier shouted.

"Dammit! Is the President still safe?"

"Damage to infiltration force expanding! Get Captain Nagase to try to take on the armored units!"

"Blaze…" Nagase said in a warning voice.

"Sorry, got sidetracked by some SAMs coming in from the east. I'm on my way. Snow, take care of the incoming SAMs and AA guns. Forget the enemy planes for now. Unless they engage you or try to attack the helicopter, ignore them. Grimm, help him out. I'm helping Nagase now."

Blaze turned her plane towards the castle while I continued firing my guns at a SAM.

"Dammit, we can't provide any cover for them from here," An Osean muttered.

"I can see muzzle flashes from the window," Another Osean said.

"These guys aren't like the Yukes. They fly and fight differently," Grimm noted.

"Yeah, these are definitely Belkans," Blaze grumbled.

"How can you tell?" I questioned, taking out an AA gun.

"I just can," Blaze sighed. "The legendary BAF."

"Well, well, so this is the legendary Belkan Fighter Squadron!" I exclaimed.

"If you mean Ofnir or Grabacr, then you're mistaken. We haven't met them yet… well, not with you on the team," Blaze corrected. "But pretty much, all BAF members are legendary in some way or another."

"Dammit! This is it! Fighter on our tail! It's over!" An Osean soldier shouted… what an idiot…

"Calm down, man, this one's on your side," I assured, somewhat annoyed.

"… I so knew that…" The soldier said. Then, on a sudden switch of topic, probably trying not to show how embarrassed he was, the soldier said, "I can't tell who's got the upper hand from here."

"Technically, we do since we're higher up than you," Blaze said.

"I meant-"

"I know what you meant. I was joking. Geez! Oh crap! Grimm! Watch out! Enemy on your six!"

"Damn! Where did he come from?" Grimm shouted, rolling to the right to avoid getting skewered by a missile. I went to his rescue while Blaze continued shooting the tanks and AA guns and SAMs with Nagase. It didn't take long for me to shoot down the enemy plane which surprised me. These pilots were supposed to be incredible…

"From what I'm hearing on the radio, it seems like they're in trouble," An Osean soldier said.

"That's because all you're hearing is radio transmissions from our side," Another soldier retorted.

"We can't let them go after the helicopter!" Nagase exclaimed as an enemy plane headed towards our helicopter. The enemy barely made it past the first wall surrounding the castle before Blaze shot him down.

"Watch your surroundings. Keep an eye on your blind spot!" Nagase ordered.

"No duh Sherlock," Blaze retorted.

"Shut up Hobbs," Nagase snapped.

"Who the hell is Hobbs?"

"You've never heard of Locke and Hobbs? I seriously doubt that."

"Oh! Yeah, I've heard of them! What the hell are they doing in this conversation and what do they have to do with Sherlock?"

"You said Sherlock?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Ooh, I thought you said Locke…"

"Oh, yeah. Locke and Sherlock sound so alike," Blaze replied sarcastically.

"They both have "lock" in them," Nagase defended.

"Yeah, but Locke doesn't have a "_Sher_" before it," Blaze pointed out.

"Well if you're not paying attention, you might not hear that part."

"Can y'all both shut up and focus?" Grimm asked exasperatedly.

"Grimm, you're not a part of this conversation. And we can focus perfectly well while talking," Blaze sniffed. I snorted.

"Oh yeah, sure you can. I mean, I've seen you blow up, oh, _ZERO_, tanks since y'all started the argument!" Grimm wrangled.

"Fine, fine, but Nagase, we will continue this conversation later," Blaze promised.

"Looks out, we're being attacked through the skylight!" A soldier announced anxiously.

"Quiet. Enemies! Just around the corner!" An Osean hissed.

My missile alert went off as an enemy plane got a lock on me. I rolled to the left, then to the right, then I went into a loop. I did so many mercurial attempts to lose the enemy that it finally worked and I was able to get behind him. I shot them down in a nanosecond.

"Geez, a gunfight with just a banquet table between us!" An Osean exclaimed.

"What, they didn't prepare dinner or us?"

"Rick, fire back! You can't stay down forever!"

"Oh no, they're targeting the helicopter!" Grimm announced.

"Like hell they are!" Blaze growled, jerking her plane towards the enemy planes. They barely lasted a minute against her battle prowess. It made me realize that I never wanted to be in an air battle with Blaze with her as my enemy. I wouldn't survive… I don't think anyone would.

"It's coming this way! C'mon, help us!" A soldier on the helicopter begged.

"I am helping. You just can't see me," Blaze said.

"Why's that?"

"Because she's so wicked fast!" Grimm explained excitedly.

"Well, that wasn't my explanation but I'm sticking with yours Grimm because it sounds cooler," Blaze laughed.

"Hey, over here! We're your targets. Not that helicopter!" I shouted. There was no way I was going to let that helicopter get shot down. Nor was I going to let the President stay in that horrible castle any longer. "They're not gettin' through us today. Let's show them what we've got!"

"But not everything because we have to have the element of surprise when the big battle is here," Blaze added.

"Touché," I agreed as I did a double loop, trailing an enemy plane. When the plane leveled out, I used a special weapon to get the plane. It worked.

"Very nice, Captain Snow," Grimm praised.

"Well, I can't let you folks have all the glory," I laughed.

"I didn't know we were getting it all," Blaze chuckled.

"Seriously?" I asked.

"Seriously. The only thing I ever thought we were getting was criticism," Blaze admitted. Seeing what had happened to her the past few weeks, I couldn't blame her.

"Well, the people on your base sucked. Everyone else thinks you're fantastic!" I exclaimed. "All of you!"

"It would've been nice to know that sooner," Blaze said.

"I just looked that enemy pilot in the eye," Grimm murmured.

"Grimm, try to avoid doing that. I don't want you getting unnerved. I lost one wingman, I am _not_ losing another," Blaze declared quietly.

"We've broken into the command post. This is the enemy's nerve section!" An Osean announced ecstatically.

"Whatever you do, don't shoot the President by accident!" Another soldier warned.

"That would be bad," I said.

"That would be very bad," Blaze agreed.

"We can't protect this area any longer! Awaiting orders!" A Belkan shouted frantically.

"Hurry! The enemy's going to start using desperate measures soon!" One of our soldiers said. "Hey, who's that guy the President is helping?"

"Beats me," Another soldier replied.

"Ulrich, carry out Kuckuck," A Belkan ordered. I heard Blaze start cracking up.

"What the hell is a Kuckuck?" She asked.

"Beats me," I said.

"You gotta do it! Don't waver now!" A Belkan snarled.

"Yes, sir," A Belkan replied.

Blaze and Nagase took care of the tank surrounding the castle. Grimm and I took on the enemy planes; they were starting to make mistakes for some reason. Whether it was honest mistakes or whether they were making mistakes because they were scared of us, I don't know, but their mistakes were the reason Grimm and I were able to shoot so many down.

"We can't blow this wall with the explosives we brought with us!" An Osean announced grimly.

"This is Sea Goblin. We've run into enemy fire from multiple positions in the castle. We're pinned down over here. Break down part of the wall for us!"

"It's the south wall of the castle," Blaze informed.

"Roger," I said.

"Don't say Roger," Blaze ordered.

"Why?"

"Because some idiot thought we were talking to him every time we said roger," Blaze explained.

"What? You're going to miss out on torturing a fellow soldier?" I queried incredulously.

"… Good point. Alright, you can use roger," Blaze chirped.

**MISSION UPDATE**

"Where's the President?" Nagase asked worriedly.

"He's right here beside me," A soldier replied happily.

"Roger."

"What about that guy that he was supporting earlier? What happened to him?" Blaze inquired.

"He's with us too. He's semi-conscious. A bullet hit him in the arm and he's about to pass out from blood loss," the soldier explained.

"Will he be okay?" I asked.

"He'll be fine once we get him to the copter and stitch him up."

"Roger that. We're getting that wall down ASAP," Blaze said.

"We're going to destroy the wall and get the infiltration team out of there. Got it?" Pops questioned us firmly.

"Yes, sir," Blaze answered confidently.

"The area to be destroyed is displayed on your HUD. Aim carefully," Pops cautioned.

"Yes, sir. Today, Belka is going to wish they never decided to engage… us!" Blaze declared.

"You know, that was a great speech… until the very end," Nagase said.

"Well, we don't have a name yet for our squadron which we need to figure out soon," Blaze pointed out.

"True, true. We'll decide that when we get back to the Kestrel. Let's just try to get out of this battle alive first," Nagase said.

"Deal," Blaze agreed.

"Keep firing! Don't give the enemy a sense of advantage!" An Osean soldier hissed. I was far away from the castle now, keeping the enemies occupied.

Blaze, who had switched places with Grimm again, was with me.

"Harrison's been hit! Get him back to the rear!" A soldier shouted.

"Damn," I heard Blaze mutter. She turned her plane around to go destroy the wall.

"Hey, did you tear down that wall yet?" Another soldier demanded.

"I'm on my way. I've been keeping those enemy planes at bay with Snow. Hold your horses. I'm almost there," Blaze said. I dared a look to see what Blaze was doing. She flew through a column of smoke from the castle from where she had just fired missiles.

"Wall is almost down!" Blaze announced cheerfully.

"We're getting crossfire from above and below!" An Osean shouted.

"You done yet? Hurry up! We're not gonna last much longer!" Another Osean yelled.

"I just need to hit it two more times, just hang on," Blaze said exasperatedly. I had, by now, shot down all the enemy planes I had been engaging so I went back towards the castle to help Blaze. She fired two more missiles at the castle wall. It worked, sending the column of smoke even higher.

"Dammit, our helicopter's waiting for us just outside this wall!" A soldier shouted.

"You do know the wall is down, right?" Blaze asked curiously.

"…"

"I'll take that as a no," Blaze assumed.

"Whoa, that almost fell on top of me!" A soldier shouted.

"Sorry," Blaze apologized.

"Hey, if it's your fault girly, it's no problem," the soldier replied smoothly.

"Uh huh," Blaze said, sounding amused.

"We can get out through that hole. Run!" An Osean soldier commanded. I didn't think any of the soldiers on ground needed telling twice.

"The President has escaped! He's been taken by the enemy!" A Belkan cried out furiously.

"What about the mercenary?" Another Belkan demanded.

"He's with them as well!"

"Dammit! Get them!"

"We can't! Our planes can't shoot down the helicopter because of the enemy planes!"

"Who the hell are they?"

"We don't know! They don't have any markings."

"Well, shoot them down!"

"We've been trying the whole time," The Belkan soldier growled.

"Ha, suckers!" Blaze laughed.

"The enemy's escaping out of the castle!" A Belkan yelled.

"Yeehaw! Great balls of fire!" Blaze howled.

"Get all our remaining teams over there now!" A Belkan ordered.

I was now flying in circles, just watching out for the helicopter. Blaze was taking care of the last few enemy planes along with Nagase and Grimm.

"If we let the President escape, it's all over!" A Belkan groaned.

"Get the wounded onboard first!" An Osean shouted.

"Don't worry about us. Just take care of the President!"

"Get the President and the President's friend on board first. His friend needs immediate attention!"

A few seconds went by before, "The President's strapped in. We didn't leave anything behind, right?"

"Hurry up and leave the area! The enemy's gonna be here any moment!"

"Not if we can help it," Blaze said.

"Hurry, it's getting away!" A Belkan shouted.

"I can't attack it! The escorts are in the way!" A Belkan fighter argued.

"We have the President in our sights! Do something!" A Belkan growled.

"Geller!" Another Belkan shouted.

"Hey! What the hell?" An Osean yelped.

"… Why is there a guy hanging from the helicopter?" Blaze asked curiously. I looked at the helicopter to see what she meant. Sure enough, there was a guy dangling on the side of the helicopter.

"He leaped trying to get to the President. He missed and grabbed onto the rails," A soldier explained. "What should we do?"

"Uh, take him with you. Maybe we can get some information from about what Belka's doing," Blaze suggested.

"Good idea," the Osean agreed. At that instant, a new formation of enemy planes appeared in the horizon.

"Sea Goblin, we'll take on the enemy planes," Nagase assured.

"We're defenseless in the air. We're counting on you!" A soldier said.

Blaze and Nagase turned around, going head-on with the enemies. Blaze fired two missiles, went up into a loop, got behind an enemy plane, shot it down, did a 180 degree turn which landed her behind an enemy plane trailing Nagase. Blaze promptly shot it down. Nagase shot down the plane she had been trailing.

"That was mighty impressive, ladies," I complimented.

"Thanks you, Snow," Blaze said.

"Yes, thank you. You know, it's good to have four members again," Nagase said thoughtfully.

"Is that you? The lady with the pretty voice? Are you there too?" President Harling's voice asked.

"Yes, President Harling, it's me," Nagase said.

"What the… the sky's swarming with enemy planes!" An Osean exclaimed.

"Leave the bandits to our fighters! Just keep flying!"

"Dude, it's us," Grimm said, sounding as if the soldier was stupid, which he kind of was if he didn't recognize our planes.

"So Andersen's realized what's going on behind the scenes too, right?" Harling questioned.

"Yes, sir," Blaze and Nagase answered at the same time.

"Just a little bit more! We're almost through!"

"Swordsman! Missile!" Blaze cried out. I immediately rolled to the left. The missile shot past me. I went down towards the water and then I pulled up before I crashed into the dark waters. The enemy plane wasn't so lucky.

"Are you okay?" Blaze queried worriedly.

"I'm fine. It was certainly a wakeup call though," I chuckled, trying to lessen the tense atmosphere.

"Oh, I'm fine. Let me take a look at that wounded soldier," Harling said. "I'm all right. Take care of him first!"

"How's the mercenary?" Blaze asked.

"He's unconscious but alive. We're stitching up the wound now."

"This is Cluricaun. We took two or three hits, but I think we're still airworthy."

"We're all right. We're gonna make it!" A soldier shouted happily.

**MISSION ACCOMPLISHED**

"We managed to make it out of there. Mission accomplished," Sea Goblin announced.

"Thank you everyone. I appreciate your efforts," Harling said gratefully.

"You're very welcome, sir," Blaze replied.

"By the way, your voice sounds familiar. Are you…?" Harling left the question hanging.

"Yes, sir. We are," Blaze answered.

"I thought so. Looks like I owe you another one," Harling said.

"You don't owe us anything sir," Blaze assured.

With that final message, we all fell silent, tired from the ordeal.

**Blaze's POV**

* * *

I couldn't believe we had just rescued the President… again.

I was flying home in somewhat of a stupor because I was doggone tired and I was amazed I had just helped rescue the President. My stupor was broken when I was cleared for the carrier landing check.

It was dark out and I could barely see the runway. I just concentrated as much as I could. Somehow, I managed to land successfully, meaning I didn't crash into anything (or anyone) in the process.

"Perfect Blaze!" The carrier controlled complimented. I hopped out of my jet and walked to the briefing room with Grimm, Nagase, and Snow. Cassie and Genette joined us on the way.

The lights dimmed immediately and the briefer began the conclusion of the mission. "Mission accomplished. President Harling was safely retrieved. The President is showing some signs of fatigue, but in general, his condition is good. His counterpart who was shot in the arm by a bullet is being treated and is now conscious although he will be remaining in the infirmary for a while. The Belkan that attempted to drag the President out of the helicopter is now in a locked room where he will shortly be interrogated for any information regarding to Belka's plans."

The lights flickered back on, and we were told that the President was up on the bridge. We all bolted.

**Genette's POV**

* * *

When we got word of the President's return and ran up to the bridge… He was smiling and chatting with Pops and Captain Andersen, with a cup of coffee in his hands.

Apparently, he spent his days confined in the old castle, looking at the seven ground zero craters right out his window, which served as the border between the two countries of North and South Belka. He also spent time talking to the mercenary that was locked up with him.

When he saw the ten of us standing there (me, Blaze, Grimm, Cassie, Snow, Nagase, and a few Sea Goblin members), he smiled at us before saluting all of us. All of us stood up straight, feet together, and saluted him back.

In the end, the Osean Army couldn't take the Yuktobanian capital and the war began to bog down. For Belka, who challenged the world to battle, but were crushed by the twin powers of Osea and Yuktobania, there could be no sweeter revenge. They had created the hatred between the two countries, hoping that the war would eventually exhaust them both.

The military officials on both sides were playing right into their hands.

**December 10, 2010…**

The intelligence vessel continued to intercept the Yuktobanian Army's communications. One message, from Air Force Traffic Control, contained a string of mysterious numbers.

Latitude, longitude, a date and time, and one more set of numbers. The President had the answer.

"Well how about that," He said, looking down at the paper with all the numbers. "These are the votes I won in my presidential elections. Huh… this is from the first time I won, and here's the number from the election two years ago. This message was meant for me."

He looked up at us.

The coordinates marked a location within North Belkan territory. The date was tomorrow.

The squadron from Sand Island became the President's person air fleet… Even as the official reports continued to state that they were shot down and killed. Their new emblem was impressive. It was the Demon of Razgriz. Fitting, I thought.

Their new squadron name was the Ghosts of Razgriz. Also fitting, I thought.

The six of us, along with President Harling, stood next to the newly painted planes. The planes were now solid black, save for the Razgriz symbol. There was something oddly foreboding about the new planes. They looked sharp, don't get me wrong. But there was something about them that unnerved me…

"I can never thank you enough for saving me again," President Harling said.

"We're glad we were able to help," Blaze said with a smile.

"May I ask what happened to the other pilot? Chopper, was it?"

I glanced over at Blaze, who seemed to have paled noticeably.

"He was shot down and killed after a ceremonial flight in November City when Applerouth gave his speech," I replied. President Harling's mouth dropped open.

"I'm terribly sorry. I'm sorry of I brought bad memories to the conversation," He apologized, looking over at Blaze from the corner of his eye. I guess he had noticed the paling of her face.

"Do not apologize," Blaze said, stunning us all. "You did not know."

Harling smiled at her, which Blaze returned.

We continued talking for a while but then the dinner signal went off and we all headed to the mess hall.

* * *

**December 10, 2010, 2230 Hrs…**

**Blaze's POV**

I sat with Kirk near the edge of the Kestrels starboard side, gazing up at the stars in the black sky. It still amazed me that there were the massive, fiery, blazing balls of light up there. Then, the word "blazing" made me end up thinking about Chopper's nickname for me. I closed my eyes.

"_Good night Blazing Star," Chopper said quietly before kissing the top of my head._

"_Blazing Star?" I asked with a smile._

"_You're as beautiful and as bright as the blazing stars in the heavens," Chopper explained._

"_Flirt," I said. "I like it."_

_He kissed me one last time before we went to our separate rooms._

I opened my eyes, the flashback disappearing. I shivered, and it had nothing to do with the cold temperature outside. I had those flashbacks randomly. I was grateful that they had never happened when I was around my friends… or anyone for that matter.

"Miss?" A deep voice behind me asked. I nearly jumped out of my skin. I whipped my head around to find a man, about six foot, standing behind me, looking curious. He had brown hair and brown eyes. He appeared to be in his late thirties, maybe early forties. I noticed that his arm was in a sling.

"Yes, sir?" I asked.

"Are you alright?" He inquired.

"Yes, sir. And yourself? You aren't perhaps the mercenary that was rescued along the President Harling are you?"

"Yes, ma'am… May I join you?"

"Sure. I could use some company that can actually talk," I chuckled, patting Kirk on the back. The man smiled before sitting down next to me.

"So what brings you out here?" He questioned, leaning back on his good arm.

"I came out here to think. I can't think inside the ship. I feel too… closed in."

"It's nice out here. Cold as hell, but nice," He said.

"What's your name, sir?"

"Larry, Larry Foulke," He introduced himself, extending his good hand out for me to shake.

"Blaze, call me Blaze," I said, shaking his hand.

"Are you a pilot?"

"Yes, sir."

"You were one of the people that rescued me. What position are you in your squadron?"

"Captain, leader, Razgriz One, I have many names," I replied.

"You're the captain of the Razgriz?" Larry asked, astonished.

"Yes, sir."

"You're so young… that's incredible… you remind of someone I fought with in the Belkan War."

"You fought in the Belkan War?" I asked, my attention immediately captured.

"Yes, ma'am. I was a mercenary for Ustio for most of the war," He explained.

"Did you fight with the Demon Lord?" I asked quickly.

"Yes, I did. He was my Brother in Arms… my buddy, I used to call him. Then, I was given a chance to fight for Belka, my homeland. I took it and I was the controller of the V2 Launch. He stopped me and I'm glad. I can't say that I was glad when he shot me down at the time but I am now."

"You must've been very brave and an incredible fighter pilot to fight for Belka," I said.

"Why's that?"

"I know how they view mercenaries and it's not pretty. For them to offer you and position, that's almost unheard of."

"You know, I think you're the first person to compliment me on that," He said with a smile.

"People judge people too quickly, and I'll admit I've done it a few times before… although I'm usually right when I do. Anyways, so what was it like?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm curious to know how you viewed the Demon Lord because you were his biggest friend and enemy."

"I always considered him my buddy, even when we were trying to kill each other. I wasn't aiming for his cockpit because I wanted him to be able to eject," Larry admitted.

"Would you ever want to meet him again?"

"I would. I'd like to apologize for everything. Although, if he wants to see me, that's another matter and I doubt he wants to see me again. I wouldn't if I were him."

I hated seeing him so down.

"Maybe you'll see him again one day," I said. "He may be mad at first, but then he'll cool down and go back to acting like buddies again."

"Yeah. I'd like to tell him thanks."

"I bet you he already knows that. If he saw that documentary that reporter did, Brett Thompson, I'm sure he got your message."

"Maybe, but I doubt it. He was never one for TV. He was more interested in books," Larry laughed.

I almost said "I know" but I reminded myself Larry didn't know I knew the Demon Lord… a.k.a. my uncle.

"Listen, I better go to bed. We have a long day tomorrow interrogating that Belkan soldier. It was nice meeting you Larry," I said. He escorted me to my room. Kirk went with me. When I no longer heard Larry's footsteps, I left my room and went to Genette's.

I knocked on his door until he opened it. Apparently, by his disheveled look when he opened the door, I had woke him up.

"What's wrong Blaze?" He asked, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"I need to talk to you… and Uncle Jason," I said, pushing my way in. Genette shut the door and turned around to face me.

"Why? What's up?" Genette inquired, now fully awake.

"Guess who I just met?"

"Who?"

"Larry Foulke… a.k.a. Solo Wing Pixy."

* * *

**Okey doke, that was the twentieth something chapter (I'm losing count). Did I surprise you with that last line? Please review!**


	24. Solitaire

**Hey y'all. I don't really have much to say. It's been snowing here and I was going to go to my Tae Kwon Do class but the roads were too bad. It's a shame for I love to learn how to kick butt… in appropriate situations that is.**

**I can't believe how long this story is! It's pushing thirty chapters! By far the longest story I will have written. Anyway, I hope y'all are enjoying the story so far!**

**Quote of the Chapter:  
**"**A prisoner of war is a man who tries to kill you and fails, and then asks you not to kill him."  
****~Winston Churchill**

* * *

Chapter 24: Solitaire

**December 11, 2010**

**Blaze**

I was heading to the briefing room after receiving sudden orders to report to the there. Naturally, I was the last one to arrive. I quickly took my seat next to Genette. Pops nodded to me along with Andersen before the briefer came in. He started informing us immediately.

"We're carrying out a reconnaissance mission in order to obtain photographs of the enemy complex. After deciphering the code we received earlier, we learned that the mining facility in the forest area northwest of Belka is still active. An early-warning radar network has been spread across the entire forest. To reduce the probability of enemy detection, this mission will be carried out by a single aircraft. Try to approach under complete electronic silence, evading radar and passive search techniques. Flying at low altitude is an effective method of delaying or denying enemy detection. You will receive instructions on your recon target from the Command Information Center upon arriving in the mission area. The CIC will monitor you from a support camera." –The computer showed the plane signal with my name below it-"Concentrate on slipping through the enemy radar net first. Your plane in this mission will be completely stripped of weaponry."

"Dammit…" I mumbled. Nagase, Genette, Cassie, Grimm, and Snow heard me and snickered.

"Instead, it will be equipped with the necessary visual reconnaissance equipment. There is a chance you may encounter the enemy, but your recon mission always takes top priority. Once you take the photos, egress from the target area and return through the enemy defenses as directed."

Operation: Silvereye

Location: Mt. Schirm

Date: 2010/12/10

Time: 1830 Hrs.

"I have a question," I said raising my hand.

"Yes, Blaze?" Pops asked.

"Why is my plane going to be stripped of all weaponry?"

"Because I don't trust you with weapons alone against the enemies you want to kill the most," Pops said bluntly with a smirk.

Looking sheepish, I said, "You know me too well…"

Everyone got up and went to the hangars. I let Nagase, Grimm, and Snow choose what airplanes they wanted. They were going to be waiting for me in the west when I made my escape once I took the pictures.

Meanwhile, I chose the Hawk, which was the training jet that we had used to escape from Sand Island. Painted black, it looked like a little ninja plane. Yes, I just called it a ninja plane. And yes, I know I've probably gone mentally insane…

Shaking my head at my random thoughts, I hopped in and took off.

**Mt. Schirm…**

I flew a couple thousand feet high in the air as I approached the radar network. Soon, I would be heading down to a lower altitude to make it easier to navigate.

"Blaze, how you feelin'?" Pops inquired.

"Not bad," I replied.

"Solo flights can be real lonely… but that's what flying is all about, really," Pops said.

"I don't get it," I said.

"You will in time," said Pops.

_Thanks for the clarification…_ I thought.

"Take a look at you search radar. The enemy's radar range is marked out by those circles."

"Yes, sir." I decreased in altitude until I was only a few hundred feet above ground. I flew past trees that looked like one big, green-black blur. The dark blue river below me looked like a mirror.

"Make sure you don't enter any of those circles, and fly to the east," Pops ordered.

"Yes, sir."

"The enemy radar's coverage area is smaller at low altitude. You want to see for yourself?" Pops asked.

"I already have, sir," I answered.

"Keep your altitude low and slip past the radar to go in," Pops told me. "This is strictly a recon mission so you will be unarmed."

"I know, sir. The briefing told me that," I said.

"I felt I had to remind you," Pops laughed. "So unfortunately, you won't be able to destroy the enemy radar. Sorry."

"If I was armed, I wouldn't destroy the radar, I'd be destroying the enemy," I retorted.

"I know you would. It's best we keep you unarmed for this mission," Pops said. "Maintain radio silence until you reach the destination. I'll then explain the target and how to photograph it. Got it?"

"Got it, sir."

"Make sure you don't get caught within coverage of the enemy radar. Good luck." Pops told me gently. "We'll go into radio silence in a moment. Hang in there until the next transmission." Then he cut off the mic. Now I was alone…

For the first time, I felt truly alone even though I knew that Nagase, Grimm, and Snow were only a few minutes away from me if I was in a dire situation but how would I know if they would get to me in time?

The enemy was lucky I wasn't armed. I would shoot them down without any hesitation. When I set my mind to something, I almost always succeed. I felt somewhat jealous of the rest of my squad because they were all armed… of course they were also level-headed and sane unlike me in this current day and time.

I looked at my radar constantly, making sure I didn't fly into one of the circles. It made me think back to the mission where Nagase, Grimm, Chopper and I were escorting Mother Goose One and Grimm and I had been ganging up on Chopper. He had been getting frustrated which made it even more amusing.

I also remembered how the transport captain never shut up. He was as bad as Chopper except with Chopper, it wasn't annoying. It was freaking hilarious.

I had been so caught up in my memories that I nearly flew into an AA circle but I evaded it because I have ninja-like reflexes. Okay, not really, but I do have good reflexes.

A few seconds later, the target came into view. I hadn't realized I had been going so fast. I did a High G turn, making sure I didn't stall in the process. I stayed away from the base until Pops told me what it was that I was supposed to do. I was also meticulously avoiding the AA system. They're nasty little devils.

Mt. Schirm was actually not that big. It was more of a hill than a mountain.

"All right," Pops said, "you've arrived over the target area. Cancel radio silence."

"Yes, sir," I replied, still flying in dizzying circles.

"I'm monitoring your status with a low-resolution camera. Something's being moved from the mine entrance to that transport plane," Pops informed. "Okay, let's get a picture of the mine entrance and the transport plane in the frame."

"Yes, sir," I said, stopping my circles and aligning myself so that I could take a good picture.

"The camera's triggered by the missile launch button. Press it to take a picture," Pops explained.

When I had all three targets in the camera's range, I snapped a picture.

"Photo received," Pops announced. After a short pause, Pops said, "I see some 8492nd members, and some planes with the Yuktobanian Air Force mark on them. The Belkans are sending aggressors posing as allies over to Yuktobania as well. All right, let's get a shot of both countries' emblems next to each other as evidence.

"Roger that," I said, turning my plane around so I could realign myself again. As I was turning, I noticed the two planes exiting a hangar.

**MISSION UPDATE**

"Now, before the two planes take off, capture both of them in one shot. Got it?" Pops questioned seriously.

"Yes, sir," I replied.

"Okay. You won't have many chances to take this photo, so concentrate."

And concentrate I did. Right after he said that, I snapped the picture.

"Photo received," Pops announced. "This is just the evidence we need. Nice work."

"Thank you, sir."

"They're coming up after you. Shake them off and return home," Pops commanded.

"This is why you didn't have me armed, isn't it?" I asked, knowing full well what the answer was going to be.

"You're very smart Blaze. Yes, this is the reason I didn't have you armed because I knew they would come up after you and I knew you would want to engage them," Pops admitted.

"Okay. I was just curious to know."

"Make sure you come back through the return line, all right?"

"Got it."

I turned my plane and headed west at full speed. No one would be able to catch me now. The land sped past me at speeds that would give an old person a heart attack. I didn't pay any heed to the radar network. They already knew I was here so why delay my trip back home by flying through the network when I can just fly over it?

"By the way Blaze, on the way back, you don't have to worry about the enemy radar network. You know that, right?" Pops asked.

"I do, sir," I replied.

"Head straight home and don't wander off. Don't forget that you're unarmed."

I looked down to find my hand on the guns button. I think I had been pushing it…

"Takeoff complete. Engaging the enemy," A man from the Grabacr Squadron said. My stomach dropped, my vision went hazy. One of the men that were responsible for Chopper's death was within my reach. Of all times to be unarmed…

"Blaze, focus!" Nagase warned.

"The Grabacr guys are taking off," A Belkan announced.

I clenched my jaw as I gripped the joystick, forcing myself to fly straight ahead and not turn around and shoot those bastards down. They were damn lucky I wasn't armed…

Three planes came into my view from head-on. I didn't panic; they were on my side.

"Good work," Snow praised as he, Grimm, and Nagase flew past me.

"Thank you, Snow," I said.

"Need a lift home, Ma'am?" Grimm asked politely.

"I would love a lift home," I admitted.

"I knew you'd get back in one piece," Nagase said cheerfully.

**MISSION ACCOMPLISHED**

"The enemy is withdrawing. Our mission is a success," Pops declared.

"Thank god," I chuckled.

The four of us, in our sharp-looking black planes, headed back home.

When we arrived back to the Kestrel, we were relieved to be informed that we had a base with a runway and a whole hangar full of different planes. We were most excited about the land runway since we were all sick of landing on the Kestrel.

I landed with ease followed by Nagase, Grimm, and Snow and then once we were all out of our planes, we headed to the briefing room on the Kestrel.

"The recon mission in the mining field was a success," The briefer said in his usual monotone voice. "The images taken clearly show aircraft from the Yuktobanian aggressor squadron parked next to planes from the mysterious 8492nd Squadron. We will continue to analyze the photographs you took."

* * *

**Later that day…**

**Nagase**

Blaze was quietly banging her head on the wall behind the POW we had taken from Stier Castle. He was being an obstinate SOB and was driving us all insane. Pops was doing the interrogation with Blaze, Andersen, and I in the room as well. Genette, Cassie, Grimm, and Snow were all in the next room watching from the one way glass.

"What are the Belkans planning?" Pops asked for what had to be the twentieth time.

Once again, the prisoner, Jens Geller, refused to answer the question. Instead, he countered with, "I bet you think we are all Fascists, don't you? Typical Osean thinking… Here's a fun fact for you: some of us wanted to stop the nukes ourselves. What do you have to say to that?"

"Well if that is the case, and you really want to stop the nukes, you can tell us what the Belkans are planning and we can stop them," Blaze pointed out. Geller looked at her furiously.

"You're not a part of this conversation," Geller snarled.

"She's a part of this conversation as much as I and Captain Andersen are. You will talk and answer to her respectively," Pops said firmly.

"I forget that the Belkans have more of a patriarchy," Blaze said, sounding amused. "You relegate your females to taking care of the household usually."

"And what do you know about Belka?" Geller growled. Blaze looked at him coolly.

"More than you think I do," Blaze retorted.

"Oh really?" Geller laughed. "How is it I don't believe you?"

"Ich weiß über Ihre Kultur, weil ich halb Belkan bin und meine Eltern haben mir und meinem Bruder unseres Erbes gut unterrichtet. Ich verstehe den stolz, den alle Belkans besitzen; Ich zugeben, dass ich besitze und es verändert mein Urteil verursacht mir das Leben von einem geliebten Freund, der zufällig mein Verlobter... Ich bin mir bewusst, dass Sie im Belkan Krieg vor fünfzehn Jahren waren, und ich weiß, dass Sie den Terror gesehen haben, den die sieben Atomwaffen in das Leben der Menschen integriert. Also, wenn Sie ernst sind, was Sie gesagt über die Atomwaffen zu stoppen wollen, Sie Ihren Stolz beiseite und sagen Sie uns, was die Belkans planen. Wir wollen Frieden.," Blaze said in fluent Belkan. I only caught a few words that I recognized, mainly "Belkan" and "Atomwaffen" but the rest was a complete mystery to me. Geller seemed stunned by Blaze's sudden change of tongue. Pops looked astounded as well. He was staring at Blaze, as if seeing her in a new light. Andersen's mouth had dropped open a little. None of us had known Blaze could speak Belkan.

"Don't give me your petty lies about how your countries really want peace. Not after you took half our land and Yuktobania plundered the rest. All the rest of us just wanted peace. All you really want is more oil and more bullets to fuel your Cold War with us. I cannot wait for the day when I see Osea and Yuktobania get what they deserve," Geller spat.

"Ich gehöre nicht zu spaßen. Ich habe erlebt weitere Tragödie und Verrat und Blutvergießen erlebt, in meinen drei Monaten als ein Kapitän als Sie sich vorstellen können. Ich bin krank und müde von diesem Krieg; Ich möchte ein Ende zu setzen. Ich möchte keine mehr Menschen töten. Ich musste gegen mein eigenes Land wenden, weil Ihr Land sah, war es notwendig, Osea und Yuktobania Grube gegen einander, wenn beide Seiten vom Kampf gegen erschöpft sind, Sie übernehmen können," Blaze said in a quiet, deadly voice. Even Geller looked somewhat apprehensive at her tone. Blaze excused herself from the interrogation and exited the room. I stood rooted to the spot, dumbfounded. Pops and Andersen seemed to feel the same way as me.

"Put him back in his room," Andersen ordered, standing up. Two guards came in and escorted Geller out of the room. Genette, Cassie, Snow, and Grimm came in.

"What the hell was that?" Grimm asked quite innocently. Everyone turned to Genette, expecting him to know the answer. He looked apprehensive.

"We were taught Belkan our whole lives. We're quite fluent in it," Genette admitted.

"Honestly Genette, like we don't know this already. Blaze very obviously displayed your fluency in the language. I'm wondering why we never knew about this and what exactly it is that she said because Geller looked pretty apprehensive when she was done," Cassie said.

"We never thought it was that important," Genette told us warily.

"What did she say?" Grimm inquired.

"You'll have to ask her that. I'm not going to tell you because she wouldn't have said what she did in Belkan unless she didn't want everything she was saying to be known. She's more troubled than we think she is though," Genette warned.

"What do you mean?" I asked worriedly.

"It means that Blaze is bottling everything up. One day, it's going to boil over and we need to be there when it does," Pops said grimly. Everyone nodded.

"I'm going to go see her and see if she's alright," Cassie said.

"No, leave her be. When she's in a mood like this, she doesn't want to be bothered. Let her calm down. She'll be her regular self tomorrow," Genette told Cassie firmly, yet kindly. Cassie nodded.

* * *

**Grimm**

We left the interrogation room after that. I headed to my room after walking Cassie to hers. Nagase and Genette headed off to the crew's quarters and Pops and Andersen went up to the bridge.

When I reached my room, I lay down on my bed, mulling over what had just happened. I knew Blaze was part Belkan, but I never knew that she could speak Belkan, let alone fluently. My eyes roamed carelessly around the room, not taking in anything… until my eyes rested on my flight suit with a bulge in one of the pockets. I knew what was in the pocket. I sat up and went over to my flight suit. I took out Chopper's wallet; I had forgotten I had it. Blaze would want it. Deciding to go against Genette's warning, I pocketed the wallet and walked out of my room. I walked all over the ship but Blaze was nowhere to be found. There was only one more place where Blaze might be, that would be the Kestrel's hangar in a plane.

Sure enough, when I looked in Blaze's plane, she was there, staring out at the sea.

"Blaze?" I asked, alerting her I was there. She turned her head around to look at me.

"Hey, Grimm. Is everything okay?" Blaze inquired curiously.

"Yeah, I won't stay long it's just… I wanted to give you something," I said, taking out Chopper's wallet. Blaze saw what was in my hand but if she recognized it, she didn't show it. Blaze got up out of the plane and climbed down the ladder so she could talk to me face to face.

"What is it?" She asked, looking at it. I handed it to her.

"It's Chopper's wallet. I-I took it from his room when I was escaping the guards at Sand Island," I replied quietly. Blaze opened up the wallet slowly. Blaze opened the pouch where all the pictures were. The little plastic cover tumbled out, showing pictures of Chopper when he was younger, a woman that looked like his sister, his parents, and Blaze.

Blaze covered her mouth.

"Thank you," She whispered. "Thank you so much!"

"I just thought you'd like to have that. I also didn't want Hamilton getting his dirty- excuse my Belkan- dirty ass hands on that," I told her. Blaze smiled slightly.

"Me neither. Thank you Grimm, really," Blaze said. "I can't thank you enough!"

"Just promise me one thing?"

"Yes?"

"Promise me that if something's wrong, that'll you'll talk to me. I may not have a solution if you tell me about a problem but I can promise you I'll listen," I assured her. Blaze looked at me with an inquisitive expression.

"I promise," Blaze said. I gave her a smile before heading back to my cabin. I heard Blaze climbing back up into her plane.

* * *

**Blaze**

I climbed back into my plane, holding Chopper's wallet securely in my hand. I was not going to lose it. When I was settled in the plane, I looked at all the photos, mainly the ones of me and Chopper. There was one of me and him right after we had announced that we were engaged. Another one was a picture from high school when Genette and Chopper were graduating. I was in the middle since I was the only girl in the photo and since I was the shortest. The next was of me that Genette had taken on base. It was right after my first mission.

I continued looking through the photos until I had looked at every single photo five times each. I folded the photo holder back into the wallet and stared out at the gray sea, thinking back to the interrogation. I should not have lost my temper like that. I should not have said anything at all. It helped that what I said was in Belkan so only Pops and Genette and Geller could understand what I was saying but I knew that I had given Pops and Genette some insight of what I was going through after trying so hard not to show how much everything was bothering me. I was burying everything deep down in my soul to where I could barely feel at all. It was the only thing that was keeping me sane. I never knew why or how people could just bury their feelings and then not be able to feel at all… now I do.

It was mainly the knowledge of knowing that Chopper was going to crash and that I didn't do anything to save him that shook me to my core. It was the worst feeling possible.

From now own, I knew I would have to keep my emotions and temper in check to make sure I never lost it like that again.

* * *

**And there's the newest chapter! I don't know why it took me so long to write considering how short it is. I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, please review :)**


	25. Closure

**Hey y'all, sorry it has taken so long for me to update but I've had no time between my homework, life, and my AP teacher that refuses to give me a grade higher than a C on a test. But anyways, I won't stall any longer. Here's the next chapter!**

**Quote of the Chapter:  
**"**Wars teach us not to love our enemies, but to hate our allies."  
****~W.L. George**

* * *

Closure

**Snow**

**December 12, 2010…**

I woke up rather early. It was five in the morning. Of course, I can go to bed at twelve and wake up at five no problem and be full of energy all day. My friends call me weird… and I agree with them.

Sitting up, I stared out my window. It was still pitch black. We would only have sun for a few hours before it went to being black again. It wasn't fun living on an aircraft carrier that only witnessed a few hours of sunlight a day. I couldn't wait to be back home although it would probably be a while. Even after this war is over (and assuming I'm alive), I bet I will still be caught up in the aftermath of it, particularly the politics.

Unable to fall back asleep, I got up and headed to the crew room to brew myself a nice, steaming, warm cup of coffee. One cup and I was alert the rest of the day.

I flipped on the TV, wondering if we had any reception out here; thankfully, we did. Of course, we got two channels and two channels only, the history channel (which isn't too bad usually) and the news. Deciding neither channel sounded even remotely interesting, I shut the TV off and headed up to the bridge. I could see everything from up here.

"Captain Snow? What are you doing up here?" Captain Andersen asked. I turned around to face my superior.

"I couldn't sleep, sir. I decided to roam around a bit." Andersen nodded and came to stand next to me.

"We have a mission for the squadron. Thanks to Blaze's reconnaissance, we were able to determine that there were most definitely nukes hidden under that rock bed. The briefing isn't for another hour because Pops is still getting some final details ready."

"Sir, since there are nukes there, what if the enemy is planning or already transporting them?" I inquired, sipping some coffee.

"If the first case, let us hope we can get there before it begins. If the second, let us hope they back out of using them and/or are not able to transport all of them."

We stood in silence until a crew member, his name was Josh I think, came and told Andersen that Pops needed him in the briefing room.

"The captain needs a word with you and Pops," Josh said.

"Captain?" Andersen questioned.

"The captain of the Razgriz, sir. She wouldn't say anything until you were there but she says it's important."

"I'm on my way," Andersen said. "Captain Snow."

"Sir," I said, saluting him.

* * *

**Blaze**

I waited impatiently for Andersen to come down to the briefing room. Pops was watching me pace back and forth. I wasn't sure if I should be creeped out by it or not. He was probably trying to figure out what I was going to say.

"Pops, Blaze," Andersen greeted, walking into the briefing room and shutting the door.

"Hello," Pops and I replied.

"So what's this meeting about, hmm?"

"Thank you for coming Captain Andersen. What I wanted to talk about was Geller."

"Geller? What about him?" Pops inquired.

"I want to try a different tactic on getting him to tell us what the Belkans are going to do with the nukes."

Pops and Andersen stared at me before Pops asked, "What do you suggest?"

"He acts all high and mighty in the interrogation room so I was thinking I could talk to him in his room. I was thinking that I could go in and just start talking to him."

"Talk to him about what?" Andersen inquired.

"I don't know, just stuff. I won't say anything about our plans but I want to try it."

"I don't know Blaze…" Pops hesitated. "Are you going in armed?"

"No."

"He might attack you."

"I'm perfectly capable of handling him myself," I said.

After some more, calm arguing, I convinced Pops and Andersen to let me talk to him privately. I had no idea what I was going to say but I would figure it out. I always did. I had thirty minutes before the briefing was supposed to happen so I headed straight to Geller's room. It was locked from the outside and had four guards stationed on the outside. Thankfully, the room was almost sound-proof so the guards wouldn't know what we were talking about.

I nodded to the guards before walking in. I had been given clearance as a captain to talk to the prisoner whenever I wanted, even if it was two in the morning or something absurd like that.

When I walked in, Geller was lying on his bed. He scowled when he saw me.

"Hello," I said cheerfully. "How are you this fine morning?"

Geller just stared at me so I continued.

"It's not much of a morning yet since it is pitch-black outside and it is freezing. And it's morning, so that's a downside too. I've never been much of a morning person; why I'm up right now is a mystery to me. I think it had something to do with me dreaming about Vader dying in _Star Wars _or something like that. Whatever it was, it was weird, and I couldn't fall back asleep afterwards so I went to get some tea and I put lots and lots of sugar and cream in it. Next time I come here, would you like me to bring you some tea or coffee? It's surprisingly good here," I rambled. Geller was looking at me curiously but he didn't say anything. "Anything? I only have ten minutes left but I can still bring you some."

Geller smiled just a tad, much to my surprise.

"At least tell me if you want coffee or tea," I urged. "You must want something to drink besides boring old water. It's not bad at first but when you have it over and over and over and over again, it gets annoying and old and yucky. How the water on this ship can taste yucky, I'm not exactly sure, especially since water really has no taste in the first place."

"You're not going to be quiet until I tell you coffee or tea, are you?" Geller asked quietly.

"No, I'm not. When you tell me whether you want coffee or tea and what you want in it, I'll go get it and leave you alone."

"But you won't leave me alone permanently, will you?"

"Don't count on it."

"Fine. Coffee. Plain," Geller muttered.

"See? That wasn't so hard, now was it? I'll bring you back your coffee and then I'll leave." I got up and left the room. I passed a few crewmen, all who greeted me with a cheery hello which I returned. I made the coffee just as Geller had asked, brought it back to him, said goodbye, and left, just like I had promised. It was almost six by the time I got to the briefing room. Pops and Andersen were there but no one else.

"Have you talked to him?" Pops asked casually.

"Yes, sir."

"Did he say anything?"

"Nothing of importance," I said. Pops seemed to think my answer was sufficient because he dropped the subject.

The squad, along with Genette and Cassie, came into the room right at six. They were all pretty surprised to see me since I wasn't much of a morning person.

"Morning y'all," I greeted.

"Well ain't this a surprise," Genette laughed. "I never thought I would see the day that Blaze would be up before me."

"Oh shut it," I mumbled with a grin. I sat down in a vacant chair. Snow sat on my left, Genette on my right. The rest of the squad sat on the other side of Genette.

* * *

**Snow**

While we waited for the briefing to start, my mind wandered to what Blaze had wanted to talk to Pops and Andersen about. Nothing seemed to have changed between them but I was still curious to know what had been so urgent.

But whatever thought was about to follow, it was stopped when the lights dimmed and the briefer started telling us about our mission.

"Analysis of the surveillance photos taken on the previous mission revealed tactical nuclear weapons of the same type used by Belka in the war fifteen years ago. These weapons, hidden in the mine, are about to be retrieved and deployed to the two aggressor squadrons in Osea and Yuktobania," The Briefer explained. "The President has made his decision. Destroy the entrance to the mine before the next nuclear weapon is removed from the shaft, and bury those weapons of evil inside for good. This mission will be carried out with the usual four-ship formation. You'll need powerful and numerous weapons on target to destroy the rock face above the entrance."

Operation: Deepsix

Location: Mt. Schirm

Date: 2010/12/12

Time: 0615 hrs.

We got up and went to get our planes. Blaze assigned us the Tornado-GR.1. Its Bomblet Dispenser would be useful for the mission.

"Alright, who is ready to go and stop some bloody Belkans in their tracks?" Blaze chirped. We chuckled at her readiness for the mission.

We got into our planes and headed towards Belka to stop those nukes once and for all.

* * *

**Mt. Schirm, Belka, 1312 hrs, December 12, 2010…**

It was about midday when we reached the area surrounding Mt. Schirm. We followed the river that Blaze had followed. The radar was out, so we were lucky in the sense that there was no radar to worry about.

"Today will be easy since we don't have to worry about any radar. Right, Captain?" Grimm asked cheerfully.

"Yes, sir, it will. That radar was pain in my butt yesterday," Blaze said.

"Blaze, Archer, don't get too cocky," Nagase warned.

"We're not getting cocky, we're just looking on the bright side of life," Blaze replied.

"Don't tell me you've been listening to Monty Python's _Always Look on the Bright Side of Life_ song…" Nagase groaned.

"Of course not. I left my IPod back at Sand Island. I bet those idiots are trying to break into to see if there's any 'traitor plans' in there or something like that. They're going to have a hell of a time figuring out the password!" Blaze laughed.

"Why?"

"Because it's so long. They've probably locked it for eternity," Blaze said with a sigh. "Which is a shame because I was hoping to listen to it when I got it back after this war ends but alas, I don't think I will."

"Oh god," Nagase muttered.

Blaze dipped her plane into a shallow dive; we followed likewise. She leveled out just above the trees and had her plane aimed at a watch tower. The trees were mainly evergreens I noticed, although I was going so fast I couldn't tell what type. Everything was a dark green but the light blue sky made it less depressing to look at.

When Blaze was a few hundred feet away from the tower, she fired her guns and destroyed it with little to no effort whatsoever.

"I can't believe the Captain flew around this place all by herself…" Grimm said in awe.

"Grimm, don't talk like I'm not here," Blaze ordered light-heartedly. "Why can't you believe it?"

"Just thinking about those nukes that are buried up ahead give me goose-bumps. What if one of the nukes had blown up when you were here all by yourself?"

"Then that would've ended my day really quickly," Blaze said. It seemed strange to me that Blaze seemed so… I don't know, casual in her response.

"Those nukes are exactly why the Belkans have lowered themselves to sneaking around, pitting two countries against each other. You give a man enough weapons, he'll start to think he's more powerful than he really is," I declared. "Of course, it's beyond me how these people can delude themselves into thinking they can control the very weapon which wiped out their own cities."

"Yeah. With all that sneaking around, it makes me wonder whatever happened to glory and honor and pride that Belkans always claimed they fought for. I don't think sneaking around like this will gain them any glory or honor and it's certainly not showing their pride," Blaze pointed out.

"The intelligence of the Belkans is deteriorating," Grimm said.

"Or they are producing too many blondes," Nagase suggested.

"Hey!" Blaze snapped. We laughed as Blaze sighed in annoyance.

Three planes appeared on my radar. I looked up and Blaze was already halfway there, with Grimm and Nagase attempting to catch up to her. I followed in suit and by the time Nagase, Grimm, I got within shooting range of one of the enemy planes, Blaze had destroyed two of three. That girl had skills.

"I'm sick of seeing all this hatred everywhere we go," Nagase announced solemnly.

"Me, too. And it won't stop. No matter who wins this war, Belka will still hate us, and we will still hate them," Blaze said softly.

"We can't let those nukes reach the battlefield and fuel more hate. I won't let it happen."

"None of us will, Nagase. You, Snow, Grimm, and I are going to be the reason that those nukes won't reach the battlefield and _we_ will be the reason this war ends because we figured Belka out and they know it; so now, they're going to be rushing to get things done early, and they're going to make mistakes. We're going to exploit these mistakes and use them to our advantage and that's how we're going to win this."

"You certainly thought that out," I said.

"I most certainly did."

"How you doing, Blaze?" Pops asked. "I tell you, nothing beats flying in perfect formation with your comrades."

"Amen to that one, sir," Blaze said.

"In the past, I flew alone, to do battle against my own country. But look at you. You've got all your friends here. Don't you think so?"

"…Yes, sir," Blaze replied quietly.

"Yup. It's a great feeling to know that you can count on each other."

I wondered why Blaze hesitated in her answer but if it was of any significance, Pops didn't say anything about it. Although I had a hunch it had something to do with flying with all her friends up here. Not all of her friends were… and it was a vital friend that was missing.

"They're carrying an emblem I've never seen before," A Belkan said worriedly.

I rolled to the right and got behind an enemy plane. I fired at it the second I got a missile lock on it. The missile hit the plane in the right engine, making it explode.

"Enemy planes spotted. All units, prepare for air-to-air combat," A Belkan shouted.

"Roger Meteor Two. I see them over here, too."

"Send out a warning to vessels docked at the port," A Belkan commanded severely. "Drop the moorings, or they'll all be sunk together."

Blaze flew dangerously low to the river. Her black plane was a blur. She was damn near impossible to see against the dark blue river. She went after an unsuspecting plane that was chasing after Nagase. Blaze waited until she was underneath the plane before pulling up, completely vertical, and firing at the plane. The unsuspecting enemy was destroyed with no idea that the plane that had shot them down had been below them. It was an unusual place to shoot someone down from.

"To tell you the truth, the thought of nuclear weapons just terrifies me," Grimm admitted.

"You're not the only one," Blaze agreed.

"Do you think they've already carried out nuclear weapons?" Grimm questioned nervously.

"Honestly, yes," Blaze replied grimly.

"Blaze, it's too soon to give up. There may still be something we can do," Nagase argued.

"At what point did I ever say I was giving up? I haven't given up. I'm just saying that they probably have already carried out some weapons because they've had a lot of time on their hands and they'd be stupid if they kept the nukes in the same place for too long," Blaze defended. "Everyone, regroup and head towards the mountain."

We followed orders and headed towards Mt. Schirm. We had detoured chasing enemy planes and destroying ground installments. We followed the river and along the way, destroyed any watch towers, barracks, and AA guns that we met. Blaze was well ahead of us.

"Is that the same guy from yesterday?" A Belkan inquired.

"It is a _SHE_, people! Get it right!" Blaze shouted.

"Blaze, they can't hear you…" Nagase pointed out.

"I know, but it makes me feel better," Blaze said.

"That's… actually pretty understandable. And you're one of the most mysterious people I know," Nagase laughed.

"I'm not sure of that's a compliment or an insult."

"It's a mixture."

"Stay sharp. They aren't here to spy on us this time," Another Belka warned.

"Wow, so they are somewhat smart," Grimm laughed.

"Shocking, right?" Blaze chuckled.

"So why did you never tell us you could speak Belkan? And fluently, might I add," Grimm asked.

"Didn't think it was that important," Blaze answered simply.

"I swear… you and Genette share an unknown telepathy. He said the same exact thing when we asked him."

"We wouldn't be a kick-ass team if we didn't have that awesome, unknown telepathy going on," Blaze pointed out.

"Point made," Nagase agreed.

"Grimm, come with me. We're going to go head on over to Mt. Schirm. Nagase, Snow, you take out those fighters," Blaze ordered calmly. That girl had a way with words because I wanted to protest but when I found myself unconsciously gravitating towards the enemy planes, so I decided to go along with what she said.

I went head-on with two enemy planes while Nagase went after the third. I fired a missile at the one of enemy planes and I hit it dead center of the cockpit. An empty feeling settled deep into my stomach, unwilling to unknot. I swallowed down the truth that I had killed the pilot. I had been doing this for a long time but for some reason, this pilot's death shook me. I realized it was because it had been too easy. Before, it had taken me about ten minutes to shoot an enemy plane down, and I had felt like I had deserved shooting that plane it down. This time, it took no effort at all… I just fired and I hit him… it didn't feel right.

Forcing myself to stop thinking, I trailed the other enemy plane. It went up, so did I; it went into a loop, and so did I. I followed the plane, mirroring its exact movements. Finally, after many loops and whatnot, I gained a missile lock and fired at it. I fired two missiles; the first one missed while the second one hit square in the engine. The plane fell to the ground ablaze.

Nagase was down below me, dealing with the third enemy plane. She was muttering something unintelligible over the mic and it was very faint. Even when it was loud enough for us to hear her as if she were next to us, it was still hard to understand her. Blaze, on the other hand, seemed to understand Nagase perfectly and chuckled at something she said every now and then. Geez! And girls think that we're hard to understand? This world is messed up.

Nagase finally shot the plane down after a few more minutes of flying and grumbling.

Sirens were going off in the distance as Nagase and I flew towards the river so we could blend in until we reached Blaze. The area we had been in was sanitized of enemy planes but we didn't know what to expect once we reached the target area.

"The Grabacr are already gone," Grimm announced solemnly.

"Bastards…" Blaze muttered. It was almost good that they weren't here because Blaze was out for blood. She wouldn't care what the mission was. All she wanted was to shoot the Grabacr down.

"They must have already taken away some of the nukes," Nagase added.

"Maybe we're too late… Let's destroy the mine entrance anyway," Pops decided.

"Let me go after Grabacr! I can stop them!" Blaze declared heatedly.

"No! Blaze, listen to me, you will not go after them! Not yet. Trust me, the time will come when you will face them but that is not today," Pops said firmly and gently. There was silence over the radio. "Blaze?"

"Yes, sir…" Blaze's answer was a relief to us all. It was tinged with anger, submission, but most of all, sadness, devastation. I never knew a pilot so dead set on shooting down one squadron.

Deciding to change the subject, I said, "You see that rock bed above the entrance? Shoot at that."

Pops seemed relieved at the change of subject and said, "You probably won't be able to bring it down with one shot. Keep on attacking until it crumbles. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," Blaze replied, her earlier demeanor completely gone.

"Good, I'm counting on you, Blaze. The bedrock looks to be very thick. Focus your attack and keep at it," Pops commanded.

"The planes have black bodies. Origin unknown," A Belkan yelled.

"Ha! Suckers!" Blaze laughed triumphantly. "I'm glad you know what it feels like to be ignorant of what's happening!"

"These guys managed to shake off the Grabacr planes. Be careful," Another Belkan warned.

"Damn right you better be careful," Blaze agreed.

"I see the rock bed! Damn it's massive!" Grimm exclaimed.

"No kidding," Blaze said with an agreeing "harrumph."

"Captain, I'll fire on the rock bed up above," Nagase said.

"Go! Now! Get that blasted rock bed crumbling. I'm joining you! Snow, Grimm, sanitize the area."

Blaze and Nagase revved their engines and headed towards the ominous hill… even though it's called Mount Schirm… it is not a bloody mountain!

"Uh… the nukes won't blow up if we shoot them, right?" Grimm asked worriedly. Hell, I hadn't even thought about that.

"No, the Belkans would be stupid to have fully assembled nukes in that tunnel. My guess is that they're in parts and they are assembled when they reach their destination point," Blaze said.

"Your guess?" Nagase prodded.

"Fine, I have no idea if they will or not. I'm just trying to be optimistic."

"So, the nuclear weapons have been lying dormant for fifteen years," Grimm said, talking more to himself.

"Yep, pretty much," Blaze said bluntly.

"Well ain't that a cheery thought?" Nagase grumbled.

"It's those black planes up there. Be careful!" A Belkan soldier told his comrades.

"Did the Grabacr guys manage to leave the area?" Another Belkan asked. I really wished they would stop talking about Grabacr. It was hard enough for Blaze to know that they were in the vicinity. Add to the fact that they're probably transporting dangerous cargo, well Blaze would be even more willing to shoot their pathetic asses down. Grabacr plus dangerous cargo on board the Grabacr plus a hatred of the Grabacr equals a field day for Blaze.

"They better be out of this area," Blaze growled.

"Focus Blaze," Grimm said softly. Out of everyone on the squad, Grimm was always the one who could get Blaze to listen… other than Chopper that is… was…

"I'm okay Grimm. Those bastards will pay though, mark my words…"

"We know. And we'll be right along with you to help kick their ass," Grimm chirped. Blaze laughed and she fired two special weapon missiles at the rock bed. They exploded over the rock bed, dropping tiny bomblets which proceeded to damage the rock bed. Nagase followed suit. Grimm and I started shooting at the silos and other facilities surrounding the rock bed. There was a lot more than we had anticipated. I only hoped we had enough missiles.

"That mountain looks a lot more ominous than in the photograph," Grimm observed. I agreed. The 'mountain' was bigger up close and now I could understand why it was called a mountain. The foliage was a greenish-gray which made it all the more spooky to be around.

"It's also a pain in my fighter pilot arse," Blaze said.

"That sounded really tough… until you said arse," Nagase said.

"I've already cussed a fair amount today so I'm trying to stop," Blaze replied.

"Well, considering the current circumstances, I can understand your desire to cuss. I would too." Grimm: always the mediator.

"Grimm, I've only ever heard about three, _possibly_ four cuss words ever leave your mouth," Nagase pointed out. "And damn is not really that bad of a cuss word so it doesn't count!"

"I would like to remind you that you're the same way," Grimm countered. I could just see his smirk.

Laughing, I said, "Listen to you! You're bickering like toddlers!"

"That's what we do best! What do you think has kept us sane through all these insane battles?" Blaze giggled. It was a sweet sound and it made all of us join in. Blaze has that laugh that can be contagious.

Finally, regaining my composure, I said, "If we destroy this mine, we'll keep them from smuggling out any more nukes."

"Until the Belkans think up of yet another ingenious invention and dig them out for the next war which hopefully won't happen for a while," Blaze said.

"Way to break the hope Blaze," Nagase chuckled.

"Just stating the obvious."

"Obviously."

A missile to my right made me become serious as I realized that a SAM had fired a missile at me. I hadn't even noticed that my missile alert had been going off I had been so busy talking with my teammates. It kind of… I don't know, I guess somewhat disturbed me that I had been distracted so easily?

I turned my plane around and locked onto the SAM that had fired the missile at me. It was an easy target and I quickly disposed of it. Naturally, another one took its place. So I fired at that one too. It was quickly gone.

"Don't get hit by our own AA guns. Climb and gain altitude," A Belkan squad leader commanded.

"Dude, if you get hit by your own fire, you should not be flying in the first place," Grimm retorted.

"Seriously, and if the people controlling the AA guns make it easy for their pilots to get hit by them, they shouldn't be manning the things," Nagase added.

"Seems our military isn't the only one run by idiots," Blaze observed. We laughed because it was true. It seemed that the people that were the 'top brass' in our military and in the Belkan military were all idiots and naïve.

We lapsed into silence as Grimm and I went around the perimeter of the mountain, destroying everything in sight. I couldn't believe we were the ones that were sealing in the nukes though.

"Even I remember the horror of those nuclear explosions fifteen years ago. How can they still do this?" I demanded quietly. I remembered those explosions. I had been nineteen and even though that was practically half my lifetime ago, I still remember it. The seven mushroom clouds towering over everything in fiery hell. It had shaken me, especially because I had been there in one of the cities that had been evaporated just a couple days before. What if I had stayed just two days longer? I wouldn't be here right now. It made me think that it hadn't been my time to go, and that Fate might actually exist. I hadn't been supposed to go that day.

"I was nine when it happened, Genette was eleven. I may have been young, but I knew it was bad and I remember how the whole city went into lockdown because they were afraid the Belkans had more nuclear weapons and were going to drop them over Osea as well," Blaze added.

"I was the same age as Blaze but I don't remember much except seeing it on the news," Nagase admitted. "Although, I do remember my city going into lockdown as well."

"I was ten and my parents were petrified that another one was coming because we lived near the border. When that happened, my parents decided to move," Grimm added. "Anyways, I can't imagine why the Belkans are protecting this place," Grimm said, shooting at some gas tanks.

"I guess Belka isn't a thing of the past, huh?" I said.

"Not anymore it's not. The idiots decided to try for world domination again. When will they realize that there are actually some smart people in the world and that they will always be figured out? I mean, seriously, if you don't know about something, just blame it on the Belkans. It's almost always their fault in this part of the world."

"No time to be brooding over that right now, we've got a mission to carry out," I said.

"Agreed; besides, it's rather depressing," Blaze said. We agreed.

"Blaze! Stay alert! They have you on radar," Nagase warned.

"Oh, don't worry Nagase, they can't catch me. I'm going too damn fast for them to even see me!"

I went into a loop to go after the enemy plane trailing Blaze… or attempting to trail Blaze. Blaze had been right, she was going too fast for them to even catch up to her, let alone fire at her. She was releasing bomblet missile after bomblet missile at the rock bed and it was hardly fazing it. We were going to have to all drop bomblets on the rock bed for it to collapse.

"Watch it! The enemy's got you locked on radar!" I shouted at Grimm. Grimm swerved to the side as a missile was launched at him. Blaze was shooting at the SAM that had fired it. It didn't take long for the SAM to be destroyed.

I went up after a plane that was high above us, just waiting to go in for a kill. When I neared the plane, I started firing my guns at it. Not expecting me, the plane didn't have time to evade before it burst into flames.

Grimm had joined Blaze in the attempt to collapse the rock bed, but that S.O.B. was tough and was refusing to crumble. Nagase had switched with Grimm and was helping me with the planes.

She was going after a SU-47, and with her guns, destroying it in one swift swoop. I realized that was the last of the enemy planes (for now) and went to help Blaze and Grimm.

"Are the nukes still in the mine?" Grimm inquired.

"They gotta be, seeing as how the enemy is still trying to protect it!" I pointed out.

"Don't get strung out chasing them needlessly. Just repel their attacks," A Belkan said. I heard Blaze snort at that.

"Don't count on doing a good job of it," Blaze said.

Nagase and I headed east to destroy two gunboats that were docked and two cranes near them. We each fired a missile at a gunboat and at a crane an in a matter of seconds, nothing was left.

"Where did they take the nukes they brought out of there?" Grimm questioned seriously.

"That's what we need to find out. I wonder if our P.O.W. knows anything. He must be trusted if he was watching President Harling and Pixy. They were two key components to the Belkans: Harling for his power and Pixy… I have no idea why they had Pixy but he obviously meant something to them or else they wouldn't have kidnapped him," Blaze answered.

"We'll take care of that later! Right now, we have to seal off that nest of nukes," I said as I destroyed a SAM on top of Mt. Schirm. I turned around and headed for two storage facilities that had appeared on radar and I quickly destroyed them. I was leaving nothing for the enemy, even something as simple as a storage facility, because who knows what they're hiding in there?

"Falke Eleven, watch your tail! Your tail!" A Belkan pilot yelled. I turned around to see what enemy plane was being chased. Apparently I had missed one but Blaze took it upon herself to shoot the plane down. It was no competition. The plane was a fiery mass as Blaze took a shot at it.

Looking at my radar, I saw some hangars and a control tower that needed to be taken care of… and by taken care of, I mean blown up into oblivion, which of course, is exactly what I did. Using two of my special weapons, I destroyed the hangars and control tower in one blow.

All of us, including Blaze, had stopped aiming at the rock bed and were destroying everything surrounding it. We wanted this place to be a ghost town with nothing left but the ashes of its buildings.

"I can't get shot down here!" Grimm exclaimed.

"You won't. For one, I won't let you, two, Nagase won't let you, three, Snow won't let you, and four, you're too damn good of a pilot to get shot down."

"Thanks Blaze."

"Just trying to keep everyone in high spirits."

"Want me to be in high spirits? Give me damn ice cream! I've been craving it for some reason!" Nagase said.

"You and I both! When we get back on the Kestrel, that's the first place we're going. I don't care that it's ten degrees outside. We're eating ice cream!" Blaze declared.

"With lots and lots of chocolate syrup!" Nagase added.

"And sprinkles if they have them," Blaze chirped.

"I doubt they have sprinkles, Blaze," I said.

"Don't dash my hopes!" Blaze snapped lightheartedly. I grinned.

Finally, Grimm destroyed the last SAM, and also the last target besides the rock bed. Now we could focus solely on the monster itself.

Blaze was already there. She released her fourth special weapon on it. It hit the target precisely.

"Direct hit on the rock bed. But we still need a few more hits to succeed, Captain," Nagase said.

"Well then let's blow this thing up and get on home," Blaze replied, going in for another attack.

"They're aiming at the bedrock. Are they trying to make it collapse?" A Belkan asked.

"No, we're attacking it for fun," Blaze said sarcastically.

"Don't worry. The Grabacr flight has already airlifted the cargo," Another Belkan said. Blaze growled at the name but didn't say anything.

"The enemy planes are attacking the storage facility," A Belkan announced.

"Well no crap Sherlock," Grimm retorted as he fired two special weapons missiles at the target.

"Beautiful language Grimm," Blaze praised.

"Why thank you."

"Why, you're welcome."

"That thing's solid. Let's turn back and hit it one more time," I said.

"That thing's gotta be close to collapsing now!" Nagase exclaimed exasperatedly as Blaze sent yet another bomblet missile at the bedrock.

"Direct hit, Blaze. We need to attack it again, though," Nagase said.

"I'm aware of that Nagase," Blaze replied with a chuckle.

"Evacuate all personnel," A Belkan ordered grimly. "This place is history. Retreat."

"… Roger, retreat."

Nagase, Grimm, Blaze and I each fired a special weapon at the bedrock, Blaze coming down, I coming head on, Nagase coming from the west, and Grimm coming from the east. Our missiles hit and with two more regular missiles fired by Blaze, the bedrock finally collapsed.

**MISSION ACCOMPLISHED**

"Rock bed destroyed. That cave will never be opened again," Nagase declared triumphantly, her voice tinged with relief.

"Unless Blaze is right about the Belkans creating a new machine to open it again," Grimm piped up.

"Grimm, don't ruin the moment," Nagase laughed.

"Sorry," Grimm apologized sheepishly.

"You're perfectly rational Grimm, but I say let us bask in the glory of sealing in those remaining nukes!" Blaze said.

"We finally sealed in those nukes," Grimm practically repeated what Blaze said. I think he was in so much shock that we had actually accomplished it. Hell, I was right along with him!

"But there are more Belkan nukes out there," I pointed out grimly.

"On that cheery note, I say we head back and relax. Who's with me?" Blaze asked, heading in the direction of the Kestrel. None of us disagreed with her so we followed Blaze back to the Kestrel.

During our flight back, the briefer came on to give an overview of what had happened (not that we really needed it).

"Mission accomplished," the briefer said. "Thanks to that rock avalanche, the mine entrance is now sealed off, and the tactical nukes have been removed as a threat to the world. Intel has lost track of the nukes they have already removed, but it is certain that the weapons sealed in the mine shaft will never be deployed."

The four of us sighed in relief, glad the mine would never be opened

Upon landing on the Kestrel, Blaze disappeared the minute she got out of her plane. We had no idea where she went but Genette told us not to worry. He said that she had seemed in good spirits and was most likely going to sleep or something like that.

* * *

**Blaze**

I slipped out of the hangar practically unnoticed when we landed and headed to Geller's room. On the way there, I picked up some more coffee for him and even though he had told me earlier that he wanted it plain, I still brought him packets of sugar and some of the little plastic cream holders. I'm not exactly sure what they're called.

I walked in to his room. Geller was reading a magazine. He looked up at me and I smiled. He didn't return it. Geller just gave me a steely gaze.

"I brought you some more coffee… obviously…" I said, feeling somewhat awkward. Then I realized that he was pretty much under my command and I really didn't have to care what he thought of me. Setting the coffee down on his nightstand along with the packets of sugar and cream and sitting down in a vacant chair opposite him, I continued talking. "So did you sleep well last night? I hope you don't get seasick easily. I don't. I find the rocking of the boat soothing. I've always loved the water. When I was younger, my brother and I would pretend we were gods and usually he was Apollo and I was Artemis but sometimes I would pretend to be a demigod that was a daughter of Poseidon. That was when our grandparents' pool wasn't covered up for the winter but still. It was really fun. My grandparents lived on something like forty acres in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and my brother and I would run through the forest that was in the backyard. The pool was in the back too. What were your grandparents like?"

Geller didn't respond…

"You know, talking isn't going to kill you. It's not like you're going to melt like the wicked witch in the _Wizard of Oz_," I told him with a slight smirk.

Geller looked at me and I could just see the slightest, almost invisible smile. But just as quickly as it had come, it vanished, and his stony expression was back.

"You want to smile. I know you do. It's hard not to when you have a girl rambling about nothing in particular and nothing that's important. When I ramble, I tend to mess things up, or at least they sound wrong when I say them. For example, I run into poles pretty much habitually, and it's not on purpose, but anyway, so I was talking to my friends –this was in high school- and I was telling them about the time I had been distracted by two guys coming down the hall. Well, I said it was a metal pole and they started making jokes about poles and I told them that there were different types of poles: metal, concrete, brick, etc. So, when I had finished saying the metal, concrete, and brick, you know what I said? I said I know my poles. Of course, them being smart, immature, high school students, they immediately thought something nasty. I really watch my mouth now when I say things but even that's not a one hundred percent foolproof plan."

Geller's eyes flashed with amusement. I was making progress… I think…

"I heard jet engines earlier… after you came," Geller said quietly.

"Oh my god! He talks! _And_ he didn't melt!" I exclaimed with a laugh. Geller looked uncomfortable.

"Where did you go?" He asked. I looked at him curiously.

"Mt. Schirm. We sealed of the mine entrance where they were keeping some nukes. They got some of them away though. That's what we're trying to figure out now… and without much luck. The mission was annoying. That was one elaborate network y'all had set up. Kudos to you. All those SAMs were dead set at shooting us down and that was one solid rock bed. How on earth did you ever find such a place? My wingmen and I were going crazy. I think our conversations can warrant that."

"How did they get away with the nukes?"

I hesitated before answering and Geller noticed it.

"Listen, I just want to know what my country is doing. They have been messing up lately…" Geller admitted quickly, and I could tell he was being sincere. I looked at him, stunned. While what he had said had been one of the reasons I had hesitated, I also didn't want to say the name of the squadron that had taken away the nukes. They pissed me off too much.

"I know that very well… and the answer is they had a squadron carry them out. That's all I know right now."

"It was Grabacr, was it not?"

"Yeah," I grumbled.

"You do not like them, do you?"

"That would be a severe understatement," I muttered.

"Why?"

"Let's just say that they made my hatred for them personal. So what part of Belka are you from?"

"Could you not just pull that from my records?" Geller sneered.

"No, we can't; we don't have access to them… yet. But honestly, we don't care about where you come from and whatnot. We just want to know what you know about the Belkans and their plans with the nukes. So tell me, where are you from?"

"I am from northern Belka."

"What was it like?"

"Cold."

I could see I was getting nowhere with this so I decided to take a different tactic. "Thank you for explaining so fully. If you're not going to go into detail about your life, then you get to hear about mine. Take your pick."

I could see the conflict on Geller's face.

"Fine," Geller muttered. "I'm from Munich."

"I've heard it's a pretty place to visit."

"Yes… you?"

"I'm from Aurora but now I live in Osea Springs. My wingmen and I all live in nearby towns ironically. You'd like my wingmen if we weren't in the current, awkward, Belkan pilots versus Osean pilots situation. I kind of think of us like a pack of wolves. I'm the alpha female… which I find ironic because I'm the youngest. Nagase is pretty much like my second in command, or my beta, I think it's called. Cassie is the one that keeps us on our toes. Chopper… he was the alpha male but he died in combat about two weeks ago," I explained, feeling that familiar knot in my throat rising. I moved on quickly. "So now Genette, my brother, he's the alpha. Grimm is second because he's been a part of the squadron longer than Captain Snow has. Grimm keeps me grounded. It used to be Chopper who kept me grounded but Grimm took his place for the job. Snow just joined the squadron. He is one hell of a fighter. We bicker and mess with each other all the time. One time, on Sand Island, Cassie, Nagase, and I dumped a whole bucket of water on Chopper, Genette, and Grimm. It was hysterical!"

"You were close with this Chopper guy?"

"You're freakishly close to being a mind reader," I joked.

"I was trained to read peoples' faces and emotions and I can tell that this guy was more than just your wingman."

The door opened and one of the guards informed me that dinner was ready. My stomach growled at the announcement. I stood up and as I was about to walk out when I turned to Geller and said, "I'll tell you more tomorrow… if you'd like."

"I am actually starting to enjoy your visits."

"Then I'll see you tomorrow, coffee and everything. Good night Jens Geller."

"Good night, Miss Blaze."

* * *

**Alright! I'm finished! Sorry it took so long! YouTube was being stupid and freezing up all the time and then our router broke so my dad had to go get a new one (this was on top of everything else that happened in my beginning author's note). I hope y'all enjoyed and please review! No review=no update.**


	26. Ghosts of Razgriz

**Hey y'all, so this took longer to update than I anticipated so I'm sorry for that. I forgot to mention in Chapter 23: Ancient Walls that some of the dialogue was given to me by LaZardo because Geller is LaZardo's character in this. So I thank you for that :) Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy the chapter!**

**Quote of the Chapter:  
**"**Fail, and your friends feel superior. Succeed, and they feel resentful."  
****~Mason Cooley**

* * *

Chapter 26: Ghosts of Razgriz

**Blaze**

**December 13, 2010…**

I headed to Geller's room with my tea and his coffee in hand. It was about eleven in the afternoon. I had majorly overslept but it had felt good to catch up on sleep because I had seriously been deprived of it. I asked Genette why no one had bothered to wake me up and apparently there had been no reason to. I didn't complain but I've certainly never heard of _any_ soldier being allowed to sleep in. I guess this was a first. Hell, my whole career as a pilot had been full of firsts. I was the youngest pilot to ever become a captain of a squadron in Osean Air Force history. I was the first pilot to ever beat an instructor my first time at a 'hop,' which are practices at the Air Force Academy. I was the youngest pilot to be accepted to Sand Island. Most pilots went to a different base before being transferred to Sand Island. I was also the first pilot to stand up to the damn Base Commander at Sand Island. That boy needed a good slap in the face… now if only I had actually slapped him.

I had hardly realized that I had entered Geller's room until he broke me out of my thoughts by saying, "You look deep in thought."

I looked up and shook my head as if to clear my head. "Yeah, just following my labyrinth of a mind. I brought you some coffee."

I handed him the coffee and sat down in the chair opposite his bed.

"So, did you have a good night's sleep?"

"I did," Geller responded in his usual formal, monotone voice.

"Have any weird dreams?"

"No. Why do you ask? Did you?"

"Well, if you call dreaming about being changed into a vampyre with a 'Y' instead of an 'I' and then meeting a hottie adult vamp named Erik Night, then yes, I would say I did have a weird dream."

"… House of Night series?"

"How did you know?"

"My sister was telling me about the series," Geller said nonchalantly.

"Did she tell you that the main character has a majorly screwed up love life?"

"She mentioned it, yes."

"My god, three boyfriends at one time. It's hard enough keeping one in line."

"You act like men are your equals."

"They are. This isn't Belka. This isn't a patriarchy. Even if it was, I would still have the habit of bossing people around. I guess you could call it a fault in me."

"You would not survive in Belka… but then again, the men would respect you at the same time although they would not show it."

"Do you ever use contractions?" I suddenly asked.

"Do you always ask whatever question pops into your head?" Geller retorted.

"Geez, I didn't mean any offense, it just sort of came out."

"For your information, I do, but only in situations I am sure of. These contractions confuse me."

"I see. So tell me about your sister. Is she your twin? Or is she an older or younger sister?"

"She is younger than me."

"How many years?"

"Five."

"Not too much of a difference. Were you excited when you found out you were getting a baby sister?"

"Yes… during my teenage years, we fought ferociously. I swear we annihilated our rooms once in a while. Then when I went into the Belkan War, our relationship changed and we became very close."

"That's good to hear."

"What about you and your brother?"

"Well, we got along when we were younger. We had regular brother and sister fights but that's normal. I don't think we annihilated our rooms though."

"Tell me about this Chopper guy."

His words made me look down into my tea. I had used so much milk that the once dark brown tea had turned almost as white as the milk. I wasn't sure how long I stared into my cup of tea before saying, "He was my best friend… and my fiancé."

"I am sorry. What was he like?

"He was the biggest smart-ass on the planet. He called it 'smart-ass-ism.' He came up with the weirdest stuff but it was why we all loved him. He somehow got away with shooting his mouth off to our superiors."

"I bet you did, too."

"Uh, the only reason I got away with it is because we were under some precarious situations," I explained. "That was the only reason I got away with some of the things I said."

"An example, please?" Geller prodded.

"Um, well, probably the worst one was my seventeenth mission," I said somewhat solemnly.

"That was the mission your Chopper crashed." It wasn't a question, but I nodded. I noticed Geller had a freaky way of knowing things. I realized I was going to have to really watch my expressions and keep my emotions in check when I was around him.

"It was a fly-by and there weren't supposed to be any enemy aircrafts. We were armed just in case there were but I trusted our defenses and believed they wouldn't be able to get through without being detected. I was so wrong. We were swarmed. Our AWACS, the stupid pig-headed moron that he was, decided to announce that we were going to deal with the unknown enemy aircrafts and that they needed to escort the crowd and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Well, I was pretty short-tempered at the time and I started to say 'no shit,' excuse my French, and he told me to watch my language. I wasn't necessarily thinking clearly and I told him to go screw himself…"

"That is bad but it is not terrible."

"Yeah, well, uh, then I said 'oh wait, you already have.' My comrades thought it was hilarious. Our AWACS started to rant at me but I told him off some more. He didn't really bother me after that."

Geller grinned. "You have guts Miss Blaze."

"That's what everyone says. I do things without thinking and that happened to be one of those times."

"I would not want to make you angry."

"Smart boy," I complimented, taking a sip from my tea. "So I have a question for you."

"Shoot."

"Why did you jump on that helicopter when we rescued Harling?"

"Come to think of it, I am not sure what the hell I was thinking when I jumped on the helicopter. I was so caught up in trying to keep the President there and make sure I was not punished along with all my other comrades for letting him get away that I decided to try and get him… and that meant jumping on the helicopter… I also wanted to ask him why he is so dead set on keeping our country divided."

"I think it's more because Congress won't let us give up the territory. It's rich in natural resources and with the size of Osea they believe it's better handled by them and not by Belka."

"Although I think it is a bit conceited, I understand the concept of the idea."

We talked for a little while longer before I got up and headed to lunch. Surprisingly, Pixy was there, and I struck up conversation with him, mainly about his time as a pilot.

I didn't have time to go talk to Geller afterwards because we started talking to Pops about what was going to happen. He and the crew were figuring out what those numbers meant.

The next couple of days, we were completely preoccupied with discussing what the Belkans were going to do with the nuclear weapons. We had multiple theories but none of us actually had any proof.

Then, on the fifteenth, we received a new radio transmission. We were all put together to try and figure it out. It was rather tedious and this wasn't my strong point, nor was it a strong point for Snow, Grimm, Nagase, or Cassie. My brother, on the other hand, was reveling in it. He is a mastermind at this kind of stuff. We convinced Pops to let us go back to our rooms because it was late and I told him I had a feeling we would be going on a sortie tomorrow. Pops finally agreed and we left, quite ready to go to bed.

* * *

**December 16, 2010…**

**Snow**

Well, it appears Blaze was right about us having a sortie. We were ordered to the briefing room at a whopping four in the morning. At least it was a whopping four in the morning for Blaze. Early wake-ups don't really affect me all that much. Blaze came in looking like a zombie. She didn't say anything to anyone. She merely plopped down in her seat, bent over, and with her head resting on her knees, went back to sleep until everyone else arrived. Ten minutes later, everyone was set to go. Blaze looked up and it was obvious she was forcing herself to keep her eyes open. Pops came to the front of the briefing room and stood to the left of the computer screen.

"We've intercepted another mysterious radio transmission," Pops began. I heard Blaze whisper under her breath that we already knew that. I tried to stifle a laugh and masked it by coughing. "This time it specifies a location within Yuktobania. It's probably… well, this is just a hunch on my part, but I bet that's where the nuclear weapon sent into Yuktobania is located.

"And there's another set of numbers. This time it's a radio frequency."

Pops cued the actual briefer to begin. "You next mission is a reconnaissance flight above a canyon in the northern highlands of Yuktobania, the place described in the unidentified radio transmission. The highlands are completely covered by the Yuktobania air defense system, so the only safe place to fly is within the canyon itself. Fly down the canyon and reach the target area. Once you're there, set your radio channel to the directed frequency and begin gathering information. You may be engaged by local Yuktobanian forces, and depending on the contents of the transmission, you may also find yourself engaging in other combat as well. You are permitted to fight the enemy as necessary, but you must try to keep your altitude below the rim of the canyon."

Operation: Riverbed

Area: Payavlenie Ravine

Date: 2010/12/16

Time: 0847 HRS

We headed to the crew room while we waited for the crew to get the catapults ready. Blaze crashed on the couch. None of us asked her what plane she was having us take because we knew either she had already chosen them, or she was going to choose them when we got to the hangar.

Finally, at half past eight, we went to the hangar. My first guess had been correct and as usual, we took the SU-47. It seemed to be one of Blaze's favorites lately. I couldn't blame her. It was a useful aircraft for all kinds of situations.

When we had all gotten in our planes, we took off one by one. And at 0847 hours, we were all in the air heading towards Yuktobania.

We reached Yuktobania about mid-afternoon. The sky had a lot of clouds but none that threatened rain. You could still see the bright blue sky above. I noticed the canyon was narrow in parts and wide in others as we flew above it. That was going to make it tricky to fly through if that was how it went at our destination point as well.

When we neared our destination, we flew into the canyon and switched radio frequencies.

Almost immediately, a transmission came through. "Oh wow, it's true! They've come! Fighter jets! I can tell because I'm intercepting enemy alert signals as well. Can you hear this?"

"Who are you? Identify yourself," Nagase ordered, not unkindly. I could tell the guy was young.

"A great number of students and intellectuals are staging a resistance against the military government of Yuktobania. You can call me Alyosha… that's not my real name, of course. I'm so glad you actually came… it's just like he said."

"He?" Blaze and Nagase asked at the same time.

"We have no time. Let me explain the situation."

Our briefer came on almost right after Alyosha stopped speaking. "We've received contact from an apparent resistance group that seized and captured one of Yuktobania's nuclear weapons. Intelligence believes that it's one of the nukes taken from the mine before we sealed it off on the twelfth. Furthermore, our radar has detected numerous enemy fighters entering the canyon and flying towards the local airspace. The force includes Yuktobanian fighters and armed helicopters. Their mission is most likely to destroy the resistance's hideout. The enemy fighters are spread out throughout the canyon, so we believe that the Yuktobanians still don't have the exact location of the hideout. Destroy the enemy forces before they can find and wipe out the resistance. As mentioned previously, the local airspace is blanketed by Yuktobania's air defense system. Watch your altitude, and whatever you do, don't fly above the rim of the canyon."

The briefer stopped and Blaze went to the right followed by me while Grimm and Nagase headed to the left. Two helicopters were already there to greet us.

"A physics graduate student from Yuktobania Central University is currently dismantling the nuclear bomb so that it can never be detonated again," Alysoha explained as Blaze shot down the first helicopter while I shot down the second. We continued on through the canyon, watching our altitude.

"We need you to hold off the Yuktobanian forces from entering the ravine until he finishes the task," Alyosha requested.

"Roger that," Blaze said. "We'll take care of them."

We rounded a corner and Blaze made a sharp turn so she could fire a missile at the gunship. It didn't take her long to destroy it although she flew dangerously close to the blue-gray waters that seemed very uninviting.

"This is Varyag Four. We've sanitized the drop point," A Yuke announced as she and I continued on our course.

"It feels like the cliff is closing in on us. Flying here is nearly impossible. Don't you think so?" Grimm inquired.

"No, not really," Blaze admitted sheepishly.

"Well, sure, maybe _you're _all right, but…" Grimm didn't finish his sentence because Blaze cut him off.

"I'm not thinking about the cliffs and how close they are to me. I'm thinking about Luke Skywalker and how he did something similar to what we're doing right now," Blaze said as she fired at a helicopter that was flying near the face of a red cliff.

"Wasn't that in the first one, _A New Hope_?" Nagase asked.

"Yeah, but technically it was the fourth one seeing as how there was _The Phantom Menace_, _The Clone Wars,_ and _Revenge of the Sith_," I said.

"Well, Mr. Technicality, I'm sorry. It was the _fourth _one," Grimm muttered, but I could tell he was joking.

"Thank you," I said. "Besides, all we have is helicopters. We don't have Tie-Fighters or psychopaths like Boba Fett chasing after us."

"If all they have are helicopters, then we can take them on," Grimm declared happily.

Blaze and I headed towards two enemies: two helicopters once again.

"We're now dismantling the bomb. This is a pretty tiny bomb. Maybe it's a tactical nuke," Alyosha said, seeming more to be talking to himself. "Hard to believe something like this can wipe out an entire city…"

Blaze and I each took one helicopter and in a matter of seconds, the only thing remaining of them was burning metal falling towards the water.

"This is gonna be a real test of our flying ability. Let's do our best," I encouraged. Blaze flew from side to side; I knew she was scanning her surroundings and making sure that it would be hard for enemy planes to get a missile lock on her. There was another helicopter in the distance and I flew in front of Blaze to shoot it down.

"I don't see anyone here. Have they already escaped?" A Yuke questioned.

"Hurry up and find them. We have no idea what they're up to," Another Yuke said as Blaze shot past me, aiming for a gunship while I shot down the helicopter.

"Hey, Alyosha, can I ask you something?" Blaze inquired, leveling out.

"Sure."

"How did you know where to send those coordinates to us back at our base?"

"I didn't. He did everything. Our job is just to dismantle the bomb."

"He? Someone who knows us? Could it be…?" Nagase left the question hanging but two people came to my mind immediately: Bartlett and Chopper. No one had heard or seen Bartlett since he was shot down in September. It was very probable that it was he who had sent us all those numbers and coordinates because let's face it, Bartlett never did anything the practical way… or at least it seems that way.

However, although from what I had heard about Chopper's crash, there may have been a miracle where Chopper had been able to bail out… but I highly doubted it.

I stopped my train of thought. Even though I had never been close to Chopper in my life (and might have cussed him out a few times), I hated the sadistic manner that he had died in. If not for the Belkans and their clandestine activities of pitting Yuktobania against Osea, Chopper might never have died and Blaze might not be in the emotionless state she's been in ever since. Sure, she laughs and acts happy around us but you can tell in her eyes that she's hiding things… it's just what she's hiding that I'm worried. I'm worried that she's bottling everything up and one day, she won't be able to take it anymore; she's a volcano, holding as much magma as possible until she can't hold it anymore and let's out an astronomical explosion, or in her case, a break down.

"I just heard another jet engine… Are you managing to keep the enemy outside at bay?" Alyosha questioned suspiciously, which sort of annoyed me.

"Yes, we're keeping them at bay," Blaze replied, and it seemed to me that she was having to keep her temper in check as well.

"That's great… we better do our best, too!" Alyosha chirped. This guy seemed unnaturally cheerful in a situation such as this. I nearly crashed into one of the red canyon walls because I had been so distracted with my thinking. I hate it when I do that. Blaze had taken over shooting down the enemies while I had been lost in my thoughts. I immediately got back on track though. I wasn't going to lose any more of my wingmen.

"You back, Snowman?" Blaze said with amusement prominent in her voice.

"I'm back… and Snowman? What are we? In _Smokey and the Bandit_?" I joked.

"We can, but I call being Bandit because he gets the awesome cars."

"Well, if you just nicknamed me Snowman then I drive the truck… why can't I get a cool car?"

"But you get his dog. Wasn't it a Basset Hound?"

"I have no idea; all I remember is the song East Bound and Down and the policeman going 'don't use foul language in front of my son' and then when a horn honks or something he tells the other policeman to F-off but you can't hear him actually saying it."

"That was my favorite part in the whole movie."

"I think mine is when the girl ditches the smokey's son and hitches a ride with Bandit."

"Didn't he call her a frog?" Grimm jumped in.

"I believe so."

"I would be offended if someone called me that," Nagase said.

"Well, if I was sick and my voice was croaky, I'd probably agree with the person but if I sounded normal, well, let's just say they would have the imprint of my hand on their cheek," Blaze said.

"I will never call either of you a frog; I'm too damn scared of what you would do to me…" Grimm admitted.

"Don't forget Cassie. Her revenge would be worse than even Nagase or I could think of because she knows you better than we do," Blaze pointed out.

"God, don't give her any ideas."

"Too late because she's probably listening to this right now," Nagase said.

"Crap…" Grimm muttered.

We laughed as we continued shooting down enemies.

"HQ to Special Forces. Report your status," A Yuke ordered.

"This is Special Forces. There's no one here."

"I'm just praying they don't blow up that thing by accident," A Yuke said.

"Let's start with that cave. Go in on my signal," Another Yuke commanded.

"No, don't go in the cave," Blaze muttered. If only they could hear her…

"I feel like we're being lured into a trap," A Yuke admitted.

"It's pitch black. Give me night scope."

Two helicopters and a gunboat came into view. Blaze took care of one of the helicopters while I took care of the other one and the gunboat as a small reparation for my spacing out earlier.

"Wha… it's powering up the trigger circuit!" A member from the resistance shouted. My heart started racing at the announcement. So pretty much this place was about to become a burning hell… lovely.

"What?! You mean it's gonna…" Grimm left the question hanging, obviously not wanting to say anything else.

"… Oh no, never mind, it's fine. We shut it off," Alyosha assured.

"Oh… Okay… Whew." Grimm chuckled nervously.

"This thing won't be set off by an enemy attack will it?" A member of the resistance asked.

"I don't think so but let's not find out, deal?" Blaze asked. There were multiple agreements.

"If they raid this room, it's all over for us!" Alyosha said grimly, talking more to himself than anyone else, as Blaze and I flew under a bridge and destroyed some more enemies. These guys were dead set on finding the resistance. I have never seen so many forces in one place that's so compacted.

"The enemy's behind us. Didn't you secure the area back there?!"

"They probably did but we shot them down. Any more stupid questions, stupid?" Grimm asked. I was rather shocked. Grimm didn't usually talk like that.

"Uh oh, we have a bad ass over here," Blaze said with a laugh.

"Well, it was a stupid question," Grimm answered sheepishly.

"I never said it wasn't."

"There's no place to hide. Now what?!" A Yuke demanded, sounding frantic and angry at the same time.

"We have the terrain advantage. Don't rush!" Another Yuke warned. I wondered vaguely if he realizes that Blaze, Grimm, Nagase, and I are having no trouble traversing the terrain. Hopefully, they would get overconfident and start making mistakes because they thought the terrain was difficult for us and giving us opportunities to attack.

"This is Varyag Two. Our sqauds are being cut off from each other!"

"There they are! They're shooting and running inside!" A Yuke announced excitedly.

"Well, hell," Blaze grumbled.

"Are they trying to take us all out in the explosion?" A Yuke inquired.

"The ceiling just collapsed! The passageway is blocked!"

"Boo ya!" Nagase hollered.

"That's from Kim Possible," Blaze observed. "Ron Stoppable said it."

"I remember that show like it was yesterday," Nagase said.

"I remember I was Kim Possible for Halloween one year. I am never going ginger again. Being blonde is too much fun… not that I have anything against gingers…" Blaze added hastily.

"HQ to all Varyag squads. Report."

"Nothing yet. Every place we've searched was empty!"

"I'm cutting the wires to the spark plugs. Stand back," A resistance member warned. "There's thirty two wires… this'll take a while. These are all the tools I have. They're all we've got."

Something was unnerving about having this guy dismantle the bomb but I couldn't lay my finger on it.

Blaze and I passed a few more enemy helicopters and a couple of gunboats but that was it. We were almost done taking out enemy forces and I was grateful for it.

"Do you have an experience handling explosives?" Nagase asked warily. She had spoken what had been nagging at me.

"The best we've ever managed was making Molotov cocktails," A resistance member replied shyly. Lovely, so we had amateurs dismantling something that could theoretically blow us all up.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Nagase inquired.

"Sure. I'll have it all figured out. In theory, anyway…" Alyosha added.

"Well you better make sure you theory is correct because I have some unfinished business with some Belkan fighters and I don't plan on dying today," Blaze said. Her voice appeared to be joking and since the resistance didn't really know her, that's how they would perceive it as: joking. But I knew better. I heard the underlying, burning hatred in her words. She was definitely out for blood. I'm so glad I have her on my side.

"Watch out! My hand's slipping! It's gonna drop!" The bomb-breaker-man (which I now deem him as) announced frantically.

"Hey, what's going on? Answer me!" I demanded.

"Uh… we're okay. We caught it just in time. Whew…" The bomb-breaker said, relief evident in his voice.

"Look, stop scaring us like that, okay?" I sounded like I was begging. Hell, I think I was.

"It's just we've experienced some unimaginable stuff lately and we're very jumpy. We tend to shoot first and then ask questions in the state we're in right now," Blaze explained.

"And you have no idea how true that is," Nagase added.

"Well, this is nerve-racking. I say we change the subject," Blaze suggested, sounding hopeful.

"Not to sound rude or anything, but uh, are you sure you can do it?" Grimm asked hesitantly.

"We've got to do it. We can't afford not to…" Alyosha responded determinedly.

"Stay calm. You can do it," Nagase assured.

"Nagase, only you could sound that calm in this situation," Blaze said.

"No I'm not. You're doing it, too," Nagase retorted.

"Am not. I just naturally speak like this all the time… unless Thunderhead ticked me off. Then I would lose it."

Grimm and Nagase cracked up, obviously remembering something that I hadn't been a part of.

"Well if he hadn't said to watch my language I wouldn't have had 'screw you' and then I was already so mad that all rational thought flew from my mind and that's when I said it…" Blaze said sheepishly.

"What did you say after?" I queried, navigating the canyon walls with Blaze, searching for more enemies.

"Um…"

"She said he already had," Nagase said. I laughed heartily.

"That's brilliant. I never did like the guy," I said after regaining my composure.

"Me neither… come to think of, I don't like many top brass," Blaze admitted. Nagase and Grimm added in their agreements.

A helicopter came into view and Blaze let me take care of it. After destroying that one, I glanced down at my radar and saw another one; I hit the afterburners and took care of it.

"HQ to Special Forces. Report your status."

"We found some garbage inside the cave. Believed to be left behind by the resistance. They were here recently."

"All enemies destroyed," Nagase informed.

"Heck yes," Blaze said cheerfully. We regrouped in the middle of the canyon which we had figured out was where the resistance's hide-out was. We flew out of the center and flew through the canyon, beginning a sweep to make sure no enemies had slipped between our fingers.

"This is Ofnir Two. You sure it's them?"

I heard a quiet, sharp intake from Blaze.

"This is Ofnir One. I said that's what I heard. The ghosts of the 'Demons of Razgriz'."

"You're kidding me," Another Ofnir member said. "They all sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Didn't the guys from Grabacr tell you that?"

"We'll found out if they're ghosts or not… when we take them on in combat," the leader growled.

"Enemy aircraft. The guys from the surveillance photo!" Grimm announced as the first two shot past us. Blaze had already done a one-eighty degree turn and was chasing the two planes down. I turned around as well while Nagase and Grimm chased after the other two.

"Be careful. Remember what Pops said… these guys are Belkan aces," Nagase warned.

"A Belkan ace is nothing compared to a ticked off Blaze," Grimm said.

"… Agreed," Nagase said.

"Damn Ofnir…" I don't know who said it because it had been mumbled so quietly but I was pretty sure it was Blaze.

"Ofnir fighters… so they're the Yuke aggressors?!" Grimm asked in amazement.

"Yeah, and Grabacr were Osea's aggressors."

"Dammit, of all the places… I feel like they're hunting us like animals," Grimm muttered.

"Switch to special weapons," Blaze ordered. She was way ahead of me along with Ofnir. I saw two SAAMs fired from Blaze's plane and hit one of the Ofnir's planes. It crashed into the water but I was pretty sure I had seen the pilot bail out before he was hit. The bastard…

"Ofnir Squadron, flying through this ravine is extremely dangerous."

"Ofnir One to all planes. No obstacles to our flight observed."

"Uh, I see an obstacle. YOU!" Blaze nearly shouted.

"Hey… didn't you hear me? Turn back!" A Yuke yelled.

"This isn't like those guys. What's keeping them?" A Yuke demanded.

I had finally caught up to Blaze in the center of the canyon where the resistance's hideout was. My aim was to help her take out the other Ofnir guy that she hadn't shot down yet but she had already taken care of it. Right as I got sight of her and the Ofnir pilot, she fired two SAAM missiles and the plane was as good as gone.

"So there really is someone out there that can give Ofnir a hard time, eh?"

"They aren't Osean military planes. The emblem's different."

"Well whoever they are, they aren't your typical pilots, that's for sure."

"Oh no, we're completely typical. It's not as if we've been branded traitors and have witnessed best friends dying and are believed to be dead and now we're being called ghosts which I don't really appreciate because I'm nowhere near death; I just keep knocking on its door and running away. No, we really are typical pilots; we're just in extraordinary circumstances."

"You okay, Blaze?" Nagase asked hesitantly.

"Yes, sorry," Blaze apologized, although she honestly didn't sound that apologetic.

"You're the Demons of Razgriz?"

"Nope," Blaze lied.

"No matter. We're going to turn this place into your graveyard," An Ofnir pilot growled satisfactorily.

"Yes," Blaze said as she got behind the two remaining planes. They had easily avoided Grimm and Nagase's multiple missile attacks.

"Yes, what?" The Ofnir guy inquired, sounding confused.

"We are the Demons of Razgriz."

"But you just said you weren't!" The guy bellowed.

"Temper, temper. Tsk, tsk." I could just see Blaze's silhouette shaking her head. I grinned even though I knew it was a bad idea to tease the Ofnir guys. I was going to let Blaze have some fun. They thought we were the prey. It was an amusing thought. They hadn't expected Blaze to be so… well, pissed. Now she was the predator. She was toying with them before she shot them down, and I let her. If I was in her position, I'd be doing the exact same thing. Grimm and Nagase must have had the same idea as me because they kept their mouths shut.

"Sorry guys. Our captain's really good," I noted.

"Thank you, Swordsman," Blaze said. It wasn't often that my callsign was used but my guess is Blaze didn't want Ofnir founding out my real name. I'm surprised they didn't know hers.

"Look, the enemy's running down Ofnir!" A Yuke barked in shock.

"There's only one squadron I know that could shoot down Ofnir…"

"I was just thinking the same thing… Razgriz…"

"Geez, Ofnir, the guys on the ground knew it was us and I didn't have to say anything. Slackers!" Blaze proclaimed.

"We are not slackers!" The leader of Ofnir roared. I knew it was him because he had the deepest voice.

"Are too!"

"These guys are just plain crazy!" A Yuke declared.

"In what way? Flying through this canyon or insulting Ofnir?"

"I don't know; they're both equally dangerous."

"The terrain doesn't matter to those guys!"

"Dude, we've flown through caves. I don't think this is that bad," Blaze retorted.

"Keep your eye on your surroundings, not just the enemy planes," I warned.

"I will," Blaze said.

"We're this close to crashing into the valley!" Grimm muttered.

"If we're in a valley right now, does that make me a valley girl?" Blaze asked innocently.

"No Blaze, we're not in Hollywood right now," Nagase said with a sigh.

"I don't get it," Grimm said. I seconded this thought.

"It's from a movie," Nagase informed.

"An 80's movie which means it was really corny and cheesy but really, really good," Blaze added.

"Say no more," Grimm said.

"It's dangerous flying here, even for a helicopter," A Yuke observed.

"That's because of those psychopath Razgriz fighters."

"We're proud of it," Blaze retorted.

"You're going to crash into each other flying that fast!" The man countered.

"We've flown this fast before and we're still alive," Blaze pointed out, still following Ofnir. She was waiting for the prime moment to shoot them down.

"Not all of you!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot. Chuck Norris ain't with us right now. He's too busy helping out the resistance."

"… What?"

Leave it to Blaze to completely confuse the enemy. I believe it is now a military tactic for her.

"Exactly"."

"They've lost so many planes, and they still keep coming!" Grimm sounded exasperated.

"Well that's because they can't shoot us down," Blaze chuckled.

"Agreed," I said.

"This is the Belkan force that's mixed in with the Yukes!" Grimm exclaimed.

"I thought we already established that?" Blaze questioned curiously.

"Grimm must not have gotten much sleep with Cassie being in the same room as him," Nagase giggled.

"Hey!" Grimm protested. "We _have_ been sleeping!"

"For what part of the night?" Blaze teased.

"You two have perverted minds…" Grimm mumbled.

"Did you just figure that out?" Nagase asked.

"So does anyone know how old these guys are?" Grimm questioned, changing the subject quite skillfully.

"They're old farts," Blaze said. "That's all I know."

"These guys are seasoned veterans," I said.

"The enemy's flying so tightly… it's almost beautiful," Nagase murmured.

"I'm sure glad these guys are on our side," A Yuke admitted.

"Rumor has it those pilots aren't even human."

"They are but since they're old farts, you probably mistook them for something else," Grimm said.

"Grimm… you're my hero," Blaze declared. Grimm laughed.

"The counter's in the danger zone," Alyosha whispered.

"Pardon?" I asked.

"Sorry, talking, to myself," Alyosha replied. "Ignore me."

"We'll just have to deal with a little radiation exposure," A resistance member said.

"Listen, y'all be careful. I might think you're a little off your rockers for pulling such a stunt but I don't want y'all to get hurt," Blaze told the resistance.

"We won't. And you think we're off our rockers? Have you seen some of the maneuvers you've been pulling?"

Blaze laughed good-naturedly as she got a good missile lock on an Ofnir plane and shot it down with one swift swoop.

"They keep flying like that, and they'll break apart in mid-air!" I thought aloud.

"If they did, it would make our job a whole lot easier," Blaze replied as she shot two more SAAMs at the last Ofnir plane. It hit the plane in the engine.

I realized that never once did her missiles miss the Ofnir planes when she shot at them. I also realized she had taken them on all by herself…

**MISSION ACCOMPLISHED**

"All Ofnir fighters shot down. Looks like the other enemy forces bugged out on us, too," Nagase announced.

"Smart," Blaze acknowledged. "All right everyone, regroup in the center."

Since we were all within close proximity to each other and the center of the canyon, it didn't take long for us to regroup. We flew in circles around the resistance's hideout but we flew above, happy to get out of the claustrophobic canyon.

"Okay, we've dismantled the bomb. Did you fend off the enemy forces for us?" Alyosha queried.

"For now," Nagase answered solemnly.

"We're going to the ocean to discard the bomb, piece by piece. Nobody will ever be able to use it as a weapon again. If you can, please protect us until we make it into the ocean."

"We will. But what about…" Nagase began but Alyosha cut her off.

"Don't be surprised, but our ship… it's a submarine. There's nothing we can't get our hands on. I told you, we have a lot of allies." Pride was evident in his voice.

"All right!" Nagase sounded exasperated, probably from being interrupted from before. "But who told you that we'd definitely be coming to you?"

"I don't know his name… but he left a message for your Captain. I'll read it. It says, 'Hey Kid, I hear you're a helluva Squad Captain now…' Do you get it?"

I heard a mixture of reactions from Grimm, Blaze, and Nagase: a gasp from Grimm, a half-sob half-chuckle from Blaze, and a squeal from Nagase.

"Yes! Perfectly!" Nagase exclaimed. We waited until the submarine had left its hiding spot and had entered the ocean before heading back to the Kestrel.

When we reached the Kestrel, Pops and Andersen were there to greet us. Blaze hugged him before Nagase and Grimm hugged him as well, as well as each other. I just stood there, allowing them their secret celebration since I had no idea what was happening. Blaze saw me and she jogged over to me.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, fine," I said.

"No you're not."

"Fine, I have no idea why you guys are celebrating," I admitted. A look of shock registered on Blaze's face as I said it.

"Crap! We didn't tell you what the meaning of 'Kid' is did we?"

"Nope."

"It was Bartlett's nickname for me. _Only_ Bartlett's," Blaze explained, her eyes sparkling. Now it was time for my shock to register. No wonder they were celebrating. "Well, Chopper called me it too but no one else so now the only other person on earth who calls me that is Bartlett!"

"Bartlett's alive?!"

"Yes!" Blaze nearly shouted. I hugged her out of pure joy. It was the best thing that had happened in a while and the happiness was so new that none of us were able to stop smiling and laughing for a least half an hour.

It was when President Harling and Pixy came out that we became serious although Blaze, Grimm, and Nagase were fidgeting. The two of them requested for Pops and Andersen, leaving the rest of us to go to the briefing room.

"Mission accomplished," The briefer said, beginning his result briefing. I never did get these things. "The information we obtained, as well as the physical damage we caused, dealt a significant blow to the enemy. Judging by our analysis of the information, there seems to be a highly organized resistance force acting against the Yuktobanian military regime. It is likely the nuclear weapon, which Yuktobania acquired, was safely dismantled by the resistance."

We left immediately when the briefing ended. Blaze headed off to who knows where while Grimm and Nagase went to the crew room with Cassie and Genette. Me? I went to my bedroom to take a long, nice nap.

* * *

**Blaze**

I was in high spirits as I headed towards Geller's room. I was hardly paying attention to where I was going when I literally ran into Pixy.

"Oh! Sorry!" I apologized. Larry smiled.

"You're fine. Where are you off to?"

"Geller's room."

"Oh yeah, Pops and Andersen told me about your plan."

"Yeah. He's really sweet once you get him talking."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. Hey, where are you when dinner's ready? I never see you in the cafeteria… well, except for that one time but…"

"I feel strange in there. I don't think people, besides you, like me much on this ship."

"They're just wary with Belkans in general. Ignore them."

"Easier said than done."

"I know. You can sit with us anytime you want, okay?"

"Thank you, Blaze," Pixy said.

"You're welcome." I waved goodbye and continued to Geller's room.

* * *

**Genette**

The President broadcast his voice repeatedly in an effort to reveal the truth to his citizens and soldiers. However, the central government, now run by the Vice President and his Generals, censored all of it, calling it "enemy propaganda." And Yuktobania, their enemy, wasn't about to stop fighting, either.

* * *

**December 17, 2010, 900 Hours…**

The next morning greeted us with dark gray, overcast skies. It was probably going to snow. Today was the day the President was leaving; Pixy was tagging along.

The President needed to enter the capital himself, with his Marine Force. But entering the capital meant risking his life.

I had to admit, while the Air Force is my favorite branch of the military, the Marines look dead intimidating with the masks covering their faces and their massive guns in their hands and ready to be shot.

The five of us and Pops and Andersen stood in line next to the helicopter as Harling and Pixy walked up to board the helicopter. Pixy got on first.

"President Harling!" Blaze called out over the rotor noise. Harling turned to Blaze with a curious expression. Blaze ran up to him, handed him a piece of paper, and whispered something to him. The President's face turned to one of shock before he smiled. I couldn't hear him over the rotor noise but I understood that he mouthed "I will." Blaze shook his hand before standing next to me again.

As he boarded the helicopter, the President turned around to face us, smiled, and said, "Here goes."

We waved at them as they took off. I was about to ask Blaze what she had told Harling but before I could, a crew member interrupted. We had received another encrypted message.

The third encrypted message from Bartlett had come shortly after the President had boarded the helicopter. This time there were no coordinates. All it showed was a time and a radio frequency, reading: 18007130.

At the appointed time, everyone gathered in front of the radio speaker. Nagase was closest. I was behind her with Blaze and Grimm and Snow was just behind me. Pops and Andersen were on the other side of Grimm.

Right when the second hand and the minute hand struck the twelve, Bartlett's voice came over. "Hey, it's me!"

Grimm and I looked at each other, grinning like maniacs. Blaze was smiling with sparkling eyes. I grabbed her hand. She looked at me and I hadn't seen so much happiness in her face since Chopper had died.

"Get the wax outta your ears and listen up. We found Nikanor, the leader of Yuktobania, and we broke him outta prison. This war wasn't his doing at all!" Bartlett announced. We already knew that but since we decided not to ruin the moment. Bartlett cut off the message and left us standing there in a happy stupor. It was finally when Blaze murmured 'he's really alive' that we randomly started clapping and hollering. It was time for another celebration. We had some cookies that the cooks had whipped up on Andersen's orders. We were up until eleven, talking and eating before we finally got the bright idea that it might be a good idea to get some sleep.

As I reached my room, I realized I had never asked Blaze what she had told President Harling. She happened to be walking right by me so I grabbed her by the arm. We were the only ones out in the hallway but I still asked quietly.

"What did you give Harling?"

Blaze grinned and said, "Uncle Jason's number."

"Why?"

"For Pixy."

"You mean Pixy's going to-"

"Call Uncle Jason? Yes. Uncle Jason knows Pixy's going to call…" With a sly smirk, Blaze added, "But Pixy doesn't know he's going to be calling Uncle Jason."

* * *

**All right, there's the newest chapter! I hope y'all enjoyed. It was quite literally a pain to write because I, uh, pulled a muscle… playing Star Wars… on Kinect… it hurts really bad. And for some reason, typing on my computer made it hurt even more but I prevailed just for y'all! This has also been a really weird night… Anyways, please review! No review=no update!**


	27. White Bird Part II

**Hey y'all. Sorry for the long wait. I had an AP final exam and I'm pretty sure I failed the thing. Anyway, hope y'all are enjoying the story! I can't believe it's almost over!**

**Quote of the Chapter:  
**"**The worst situation for a pilot is to run out of airspeed, altitude, and ideas all at the same time."  
****~Unknown**

* * *

White Bird Part II

**Blaze**

**December 19, 2010, 0700 Hrs…**

Genette rudely woke me up by tickling me. I had not appreciated it in the least; but on the bright side, he had the imprint of my hand on his face from me accidentally slapping him. You can imagine that didn't settle well with him but I expected him to know by now that you never wake me up by tickling me or any other unconventional way. I will fight back whether I know it or not. For example, my friend threw a pillow at me to wake me up, which it did. I picked it up and chucked the pillow right back at her, having perfect aim. It was very satisfying.

However, Genette had a good reason for waking me up. We had another sortie.

Groggily, I stumbled my way to the briefing room where everyone was already there, waiting for me as usual. The briefer began immediately after I sat down, committing murder on my eyes from dimming the bright white lights to nearly pitch black with a brightly lit screen. If you don't think that hurts, you're crazy.

"The intelligence vessel Andromeda has picked up another encrypted transmission in Belkan. They have changed the code, so it took a little longer to decipher the message. The content is as follows: 'N attack by A-Sat on Okchabursk to commence at 1400 hours.' Apparently, efforts to secretly repair the sabotaged Arkbird are now complete. We confirmed this by observing its orbit from the ground. We believe that a Belkan nuke has already been loaded onto the Arkbird. In order for the Arkbird to attack the city of Okchabursk in Yuktobania at 1400 hours, it must make one major correction to its orbital trajectory. To do this, it must first drop into the upper atmosphere and use air friction to lower its speed. We have already calculated the time and location in which this maneuver will occur. Your mission is to destroy the Arkbird. You will only have one chance to stop it. Destroy it before it withdraws from the battle zone."

Operation: Game Bird

Location: Ceres Ocean

Date: 2010/12/19

Time: 1006 HRS

We got up and headed to the hangar where I immediately chose our planes. I wanted to take the F-14A but the special weapons weren't ideal for what I guessed we were going to be shooting at. Since I had decided I wanted the XLAA (Advanced Long-Range Air-to-Air Missile) as my special weapon early on, I went for the SU-35. The take-off was short and I was in the air faster than I thought was possible.

We flew for a few hours before we were in the combat area. The only thing you could see was ocean all around you. The only thing that broke it was the tiny island of Ponderosa.

"We were so close… I feel like the Belkans are always one step ahead," Grimm acknowledged. "Don't you, Captain?"

"Usually, yes," I admitted.

"Still, Blaze, we can't give up now. We haven't run out of luck just yet. Let's go!" Snow encouraged.

"I'm way ahead of you!" I chirped, hitting my afterburners. "And Grimm, why do you insist on calling me Captain?"

"I don't know; maybe because you _are_ my captain?" Grimm countered.

"I know I am but… you make me feel _old_ when you call me that."

"That might be because you have one of the biggest responsibilities in the military along with leading the most feared squadron in the entire war and also the most skilled," Snow observed.

"Thank you for pointing all that out. It's not as if it freaked me out enough already," Blaze grumbled.

"Sorry, just stating the facts."

We lapsed into silence as we flew as fast as we could to the Arkbird's location. Part of me was ready to destroy the bird, to destroy the threat. Another part of me dreaded destroying the beautiful bird that had been a symbol of peace between Osea and Yuktobania.

"I can see it now, Nagase," Grimm said gently. I looked ahead and saw the small white shape in the distance. It was blending in with the clouds.

"Yeah…" murmured Nagase. I knew this was killing Nagase to carry out this mission. She had been in love with the Arkbird.

"It'll be tough reaching that altitude… hey, is everything okay?" Grimm asked.

"What do you mean?" Nagase sounded nonchalant but I knew better. "Wait, the Arkbird!"

We had almost reached the massive white bird. It was three or four times bigger than my plane. It glistened in the small sunlight there was; it looked absolutely beautiful. Something caught the sunlight, reflecting it perfectly in my eyes. Thankfully, it wasn't extremely bright but I did have to squint. The thing had come from the Arkbird. I wondered what it could possibly be.

"It just jettisoned something," Nagase pointed out.

"It's an escape capsule," announced Snow.

That's when we received enemy communications from none other than the Arkbird.

"Adler to Schenze. He got away."

"The Osean astronaut?"

"Yeah."

"It's all right, we don't need him anymore…"

"Oh, damn it. He must've done something to the control system before he got away… Turn off that switch!" Adler barked. "Damn, we're slowing down. We're gonna dive deep into the atmosphere."

We only had a few more seconds before we would be flying right next to the Arkbird when I realized something was off. Grimm was the one who knew exactly what was off.

"Captain, this is Archer," Grimm said, a hint of teasing in his voice. "Doesn't the Arkbird's approach path seem too deep?"

"Thank you! That's what was off!" I exclaimed.

"Its altitude is too low for an orbit change," Grimm noted.

"I see what you mean…" Snow said.

"That white bird was a symbol of hope for Captain Nagase," Grimm said.

"And now she must try to shoot it down," Snow added.

"I would appreciate it if you would act like I'm not here," Nagase snapped lightly. Grimm and Snow apologized sheepishly. "I'm in attack position. Awaiting orders."

"Stay behind me; I'm going to take the first shot," I said. I leveled out so that I was at the same altitude as the Arkbird. Its upturned wings reminded me of a white dove, as if frozen in flight. My heart felt heavy as I fired my guns at my first target.

"Adler to Schenze. We're under attack!"

"What?" Schenze roared. "The Osean Army's supposed to be wrapped around our finger. Who the hell…?"

"Black bodies, that emblem…" Adler trailed off. "It's them! The 'Ghosts of Razgriz!' The survivors from the Ofnir Squadron told me about 'em!"

"Launch the Vogels," Schenze growled. "Get rid of them!"

The two launchers on the Arkbird appeared on my radar as targets. I dipped my plane so I was just enough below it that I could fire missiles without them hitting the wrong part of the bird. Vogels were already coming out. They are fast little boogers…

"That launch port wasn't in the original design!" Nagase exclaimed.

"The Belkans modified it?!" Grimm demanded.

"They must've. Damn Belkans. They're too smart for their own good sometimes," I grumbled as I fired missile after missile at the launchers, which seemed to be refusing to be destroyed.

"I'm engaging the smaller aircraft deployed from the Arkbird. Blaze, permission to separate?" Nagase requested.

"Go on ahead. Keep those blasted things away from me. Snow, help her out. Grimm, stay with me. Be careful; I have a feeling the Belkans have more _improvements_ on the Arkbird."

"Could you say 'improvements' more venomously?" Nagase asked, faking curiosity.

"Want to bet?" I said mischievously.

"I was kidding. Sheesh! You would- Holy crap!" Nagase yelped. I whipped my head around to see what was wrong and saw her trying to evade a laser beam coming from none other than the Arkbird.

"Son of a… gun," I said, correcting myself. I hated to cuss, even in life and death situations.

"You _wouldn't_ cuss in this type of situation." Grimm laughed.

"Shut up," I mumbled.

"Schenze to Adler. Do whatever it takes to gain altitude!"

"Counting down to ignition of boosters!" Adler announced. There was no way in hell I was going to let the Arkbird get away, even if it meant destroying it which I hated to think about, let alone carry it out; but it was what had to be done. I let out a bombardment of missiles against the laser but it was well-protected.

"I know all about the Arkbird. I was in love with it… I used to stare at the blueprints all the time," Nagase admitted bashfully.

"If you only you had been able to study the ones of _this _model," Grimm said.

"That would've been quite nice but it seems like the odds are never with us," Snow commented.

"May the odds be ever in your favor!" I exclaimed out of the blue.

"What?" Snow asked in confusion.

"She's quoting the Hunger Games," Nagase explained with a sigh.

"I'm sorry, but y'all made that really easy," I replied as I fired another pair of missiles at the laser. Amazingly, there was a small explosion and I realized at that moment that the laser was gone. "Yeehaw!"

"Thank god that blasted laser is gone," Grimm said with relief. Unexpectedly, I giggled. "What's so funny, Blaze?"

"That 'blasted laser'?" I repeated. Grimm still didn't get it, but Nagase and Snow figured it out.

"She sees the 'blasted laser' as a pun," Snow informed.

"Why?" Grimm questioned, completely serious.

"You honestly don't understand it?" I inquired in amusement.

"No!" declared Grimm vehemently.

"Well, you _blast_ a laser into space; a laser _blasts_ things into oblivion… get where I'm going with this?" I asked. Finally, Grimm got the gist of it.

"You _would_ notice that," He said with a chuckle as he aimed for the second launcher of which we had yet to destroy (unfortunately).

I rolled to the side as my missile alert went off. Two of those stupid Vogels had slipped past Snow and Nagase and had gotten behind me and Grimm.

"Damn Vogels…" Grimm muttered, pulling an evasive maneuver as well. I went up into a loop, going so high that my plane stalled.

"Blaze!" Nagase shouted, hurting my ears with her loudness.

"Ouch, woman! I'm fine!" I assured, as my plane gained enough speed again. I went into a straight dive and fired my guns at a Vogel behind Grimm. It exploded into a fireball, vaguely reminding me of the _Hunger Games_ and how everything dealt with fire and deceit. It strangely enough reminded me of our current predicament. I felt like Katniss, being sent as a Tribute in the war; how I practically had no choice in becoming captain; how I pretty much had no choice but to run away from Sand Island, the place I had always thought I'd stay permanently; how I, Nagase, Snow, and Grimm, had become symbols of hope to some people that this war would end, and threats to the people trying to keep this war going like the Capitol citizens wanted to keep the Hunger Games going. Maybe my mind was just imagining things but it made sense to me.

My thoughts were broken when Nagase said, "That big engine in the middle is a booster designed to give it enough speed to escape the atmosphere."

"Like hell it's getting away from us," I growled.

"If we destroy that, it'll never make it into space again," Nagase added solemnly. I knew this had to be torture for her, destroying this magnificent white bird that she had lionized so much.

"Copy that," Snow responded, his voice also tinged with sadness.

"We're gonna destroy the Arkbird… Are you sure about this?" Grimm queried hesitantly.

Nagase paused before answering. "When we're at peace again, the President will build another one for us."

I fired two missiles at the launcher but it did nothing but possibly leave a dent in the metal protecting it.

"Five, four, three, two, one… ignition!" Adler shouted.

"Damn!" I exclaimed. Angrily, I fired two more missiles and was satisfied when I saw the launcher explode. "Sucker."

I watched as two more targets appeared on my radar. They were two engines, easily seen on the Arkbird since they had a purplish fire jetting out from them. How many dang things did we have to destroy?!

Nagase and Snow had somehow been able to destroy all the Vogels that had been released. That was no simple feat, something I praised them on.

I aimed my gun at the engine and started firing. I felt like the bullets would do more damage since they were smaller and could maybe inflict more damage. However, with how frazzled my mind was, you could tell me that pigs can fly and I would've believed you.

"Thrust increasing!" Adler announced, sounding perturbed. He should be seeing as how the four of us are dead set on ending the war.

"The Arkbird's ascending again!" Nagase cried out. I studied the Arkbird succinctly, and sure enough, it was on its way towards space. Well, hell.

I hadn't stopped firing my guns at the engine and in what seemed like no time at all, the engine was gone.

"Way to go, Blaze!" Snow praised.

"Thank you. It's only because you and Nagase destroyed those stupid Vogels because then I didn't have to worry about getting shot down."

"Please don't get shot down. We have had enough of people getting shot down," Nagase said tiredly. Naturally, my first thought went to Chopper. Everything related to him, I just had gotten better at not saying or showing something reminded me of him. It was hard to hide my feelings from everyone, but I needed to be strong for them. If they saw me lose it, I was afraid that our squadron would crumble, that it would fall down like the Berlin Wall in Belka during its Cold War after the war fifteen years ago. I knew Genette was worried as hell about me; I could see it in his eyes every time he looked at me. I was pretty sure, actually, that everyone knew I was bottling everything up, that I wasn't letting them know everything that was going on in my head. I was afraid that if I said one tiny thing relating to Chopper and how he was dead, I would fall apart completely and not be able to stop crying. I hate crying, even in front of family and friends. It's just not my nature.

"Blaze? Earth to Blaze?" Nagase was yelling my name.

"Sorry…" I apologized sheepishly.

"Why weren't you answering me?"

"I got lost in thought. What were you saying?"

"What were you thinking of?" Nagase asked softly with an edge of suspicion.

"How much I would love to be sleeping right now," I lied. "I have not been able to fall asleep lately. Anyways, what were you asking me?"

"No, I forgot now. Thanks a lot," Nagase said in a huffy tone.

"Sorry…" I continued shooting at the second engine. The Arkbird was listing to the left, the side that the first engine had been destroyed.

"I heard Ofnir was destroyed by those guys," Adler said warily.

"Don't worry, the Arkbird is invincible," Schenze assured, but I could hear the slight qualm in his voice. It filled me with pleasure; they were _scared_ of us. Aces of the Belkan military were scared of _us_. Having my morale boosted immensely by this thought, I destroyed the second engine with no trouble.

"If the Razgriz should manage to shoot us down…" Adler hesitated.

"It's not going to happen, so there's no need to think about it," Schenze snapped, but it was obvious now that he wasn't so sure of himself anymore.

"Anyone else hear the doubt in his voice?" I queried.

"I couldn't at first but now I most certainly can," Snow answered.

"Rocket boosters destroyed!" Nagase announced.

"A little late on that, Nagase," I told her with a chuckle.

"Yeah, yeah…"

The four of us flew into standard formation, trailing the Arkbird. I wondered what we looked like from the view of the soldiers on the Arkbird, if we looked intimidating; having black planes, having destroyed so much of the white bird already, they should be intimidated.

"Damn it, we're falling again!" Adler sounded completely agitated.

"Adler, you are aware of the backup plan, right?"

There was a pause. Something told me the backup plan was something even Adler didn't want to do.

When Adler did speak, just the tone of his voice told me my premonition had been right. "I know. We'll head for nearby Osean territory and set off the nuke."

"Your sacrifice will never be forgotten."

My blood went cold, my vision started to become hazy. Involuntarily, I gasped.

"Blaze? Is everything all right?" Nagase asked, concerned.

"No! Did you not just hear that?!"

"No."

"The Arkbird has a backup plan!"

"You don't mean they're going-" Grimm started.

"To set off the nuke?" I finished. "Yeah, that's _exactly_ what they're going to do."

"Damn it!" Grimm shouted.

"How did y'all not hear that transmission?"

"I don't know. Maybe since you're closer, yours picked it up," Snow suggested.

"But y'all weren't that far behind me."

"I think Snow is right. Distance is everything," Nagase said.

"It changed bearings. It's heading south now," Grimm informed. Sure enough, the Arkbird was making a sharp turn, heading towards Osea. Like hell they were going to get away from us.

"What are they thinking?" Snow demanded.

"Where are they… are they heading for Osean territory?!" Nagase squeaked.

"That's exactly where they're heading and Nagase, keep up with the conversation here," I said.

"If it penetrates Osean airspace and self-destructs, it'll be a catastrophe!" Grimm exclaimed in horror.

"The rear engine! Destroy the rear engine on its back!" Snow suggested, although it sounded more like an order.

"I know we are in a precarious predicament right now but you sounded strangely like a mouse when you said that, Nagase," I said.

"Precarious predicament?" Grimm inquired.

"Like a mouse?" Nagase demanded.

"I love how we're in an intense battle and we're talking about Nagase sounding like a mouse," Snow acknowledged in amusement.

"Well, you have to admit you were thinking it," I said.

"I don't, actually. I would rather not be killed by Nagase," Snow countered.

"Smart move," Nagase praised gruffly.

"Grimm?"

"Yeah, Blaze?"

"What do you think?"

"I think I'm going to side with you Blaze because someone's going to have to watch your back in this argument."

"Thank you, Grimm."

"I'm not sure Blaze needs her back to be watched. I'm sure she could kick all of our asses with her hands tied behind her back, blindfolded, and be in Yuktobania," said Snow.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Grimm agreed with a laugh.

I grinned as I shot at the engine. I was amazed the Arkbird was still going strong… well, maybe not as strong as before but it was still going.

The four of us had elapsed into a silence. I wondered if other squadrons talked as much as we did, and if they did, did they have moments of silence? Were those moments of silence awkward or not? Ours weren't. I think it was because we understood each other so well without having to say a word. Sometimes, though, the pressure of the mission was so intense that we needed assurance that there were other people with us, just to know we weren't completely alone in our planes.

"I think they made the worst decision possible," Snow said softly. "It's hard to fathom their desire to spread war this far… Can you believe it, Blaze?"

"Honestly? I can," I admitted, with a slight twinge of guilt. I hated thinking humans could do this to other humans but I knew it wasn't past them.

"The fruit of their deep-rooted hatred, I suppose. But it's still hard to swallow."

"I know."

I switched to special weapons and locked onto the laser that was sending laser shots at us, and three other targets that I couldn't quite see what they were. I fired the four XLAA and dipped just beneath the Arkbird where the laser couldn't shoot at me, which it had tried earlier and failed… almost. It had nearly hit me but some quick maneuvering saved my butt. I fell back enough distance where I would be mostly safe from the laser and fired more special weapons at the targets. It destroyed everything but the laser, which seemed determined to try and shoot me specifically out of the sky. So I only had that and the two engines. It could be worse.

"Our cause will live on, to be taken up by others that follow," Adler declared.

I snorted. "What cause? The cause to destroy Belka? Because if you keep waging war with your neighbors, then that's the way it's going to end up."

"Blaze? Who are you talking to?" Nagase queried.

"Adler. I'm not sure if he can hear me but I can hear him. He said something about how their cause will live and taken up by others, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah."

Nagase harrumphed.

"Ready all cannons. We're going out in a blaze of glory," Adler said malevolently. His tone sent chills down my spine.

"We'll take the Razgriz down with us," Adler snarled.

"I wish you the best of luck in your mission," I said, saluting them even though they couldn't see me.

"Did you just salute us?" Adler questioned.

"Stalker. How can you see me in my plane and how are just now able to contact me?"

"I am not a stalker! I-"

"Really? Could've fooled me. I'm not the one looking into another person's cockpit."

"Shut up, Razgriz. While we go down in a blaze of glory, you'll be going down with us ending up in the fires of hell. I hope you enjoy the ride!"

"Dude, I've been in hell ever since you idiots decided you would try to outsmart Osea and Yuktobania by pitting them against each other. Well, might I point out, you failed… epically."

"You wouldn't be saying that if you were scared."

I snorted… again. "You think I'm scared? Wow. How thick can you get?"

"I am not thick! I am smarter than any of you will ever be!"

"You keep on thinking that. I'm leaving this conversation. It's boring."

I stopped talking with a satisfactory grin upon my face and listened to Adler rant about the nerve I had to speak to him like that. It was completely entertaining. Of course, I can't tell you half the stuff he said because it is seriously inappropriate.

"It's still got some tricks up its sleeve!" Nagase pointed out.

"Wings, Nagase, wings. It has some tricks up its wings," I corrected.

"Oh shut up."

"Hang on… I just realized something. Did y'all hear anything of the conversation I just had with Adler?" Not to my surprise, the answer was no.

"We were on a different radio frequency because ours went haywire so we switched but went back when we realized you didn't know we switched," Nagase explained.

"Leave it to y'all to leave when I have a conversation with the enemy. How does that always happen?" I chuckled.

"What were you saying?" Grimm asked.

"Just telling them they are the biggest morons on the planet and whatnot. Anyways, have any of y'all destroyed anything else on the Arkbird? When I was having my little convo with Arkbird, I didn't do anything but fly around."

"No, that laser won't let us do anything," Snow replied wearily.

"Its defenses are still tight! I can't get near it!" Grimm grumbled.

I had been flying just below the Arkbird, just enough below it where I was out of the firing range for the laser. Testing my luck, I shifted my plane enough to be above the Arkbird and fire at the laser and one of the engines. Unfortunately, I had used most of my special weapons and had only two XLAAs left. The two missiles hit the laser and engine as I dipped below the Arkbird, avoiding the persistent laser bolts aimed at me. I narrowly avoided having one of them hitting my cockpit windshield.

"They're firing those lasers relentlessly!" Snow sounded annoyed.

With one final attempt (mainly for my sanity), I locked on to the laser and fired two missiles. The laser blew up and disappeared as a target on the radar. My comrades congratulated me. However, our happiness was short-lived because we had come nowhere near stopping the damn thing.

"It's not slowing down at all," noted Grimm.

"But they're pissed at us," I added.

"And that has what to do with the conversation?" Nagase inquired.

"Well, while Snow and Grimm were giving negatives about the Arkbird, I gave a positive."

"All righty then…"

"The Razgriz and their legend ends here, now," growled Adler.

"Dear god, please tell me you heard that!" I exclaimed.

"I did, and I have news for them: we have no intentions of going anywhere anytime soon," Grimm claimed. Nagase and Snow added in their agreements. I waited expectantly for Chopper's answer. I almost asked him where he was in this conversation before my mind told me that he wasn't here. My stomach did a flip flop; my heart contracted.

"Blaze?" Nagase asked.

"Yeah?" I managed to respond in an almost normal voice. Unfortunately, Nagase heard the underlying pain in my tone.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. My stomach cramped on me really badly," I lied. Thankfully, Nagase bought it.

"Is it one of your old stomachaches?"

"Yeah." I should probably explain what she meant. When I was younger about nine, ten years old, I had these really painful stomachaches. We went to the doctors and none of them could figure out what was wrong. We tried all sorts of different medicines but nothing made a significant effect. The stomachaches would literally bring me to my knees. And then one day, poof! I never had them again… at least not on a regular basis. Once in a while, they would hit me full force at random times of the day. It was hard to keep a poker face when it felt like someone was stabbing the inside of your stomach with a knife. Yeah, that's what it felt like, no joke.

"Are you going to be okay?" Nagase asked worriedly as she fired two regular missiles at one of the Arkbird's engines. It disappeared with a small explosion. One had been destroyed. The Arkbird listed to the right.

"I'll be fine."

"Die, damn it, die!" Adler yelled in anger.

To my surprise, Nagase responded to them, her voice barely containing her pent up rage. "Your mission was distorted by human treachery. Your days in the air are over!"

I flew upside down as I trailed the Arkbird. Now that there was no laser firing at me, there was really nothing to avoid and I needed something to clear my head. My stomach was still doing flip flops as I reminded myself that Chopper was dead, he was gone, he wasn't going to ever say something to me again. It was still a concept I was struggling to accept.

"Blaze, why are you flying upside down?" Grimm asked curiously.

"Eh, for some God only knows reason, it's helping my stomach." It actually wasn't a lie. Flying upside down gave me something other to think about than Chopper and my ignoring the flip flops in my stomach made them slowly start to stop but they were replaced by a headache, probably from the blood rushing to my head…

"Altitude decreasing. We can attack it from above now," Grimm announced.

"Finally, luck is on our side," I muttered as I fired two missiles at the remaining engine. They hit but did only a little damage.

"I'm aiming for the combined cycle engine at the top of the craft," Nagase informed.

"I think that's the only thing to be aiming at right now anyways," Snow said.

"… I knew that…" Nagase said.

"Sure you did, Nagase. Sure you did," Grim told her, laughing.

"Oh shut it, both of you."

"Snow, you can have the honor of destroying the last engine. You should be able to now," I told him.

"With pleasure." He fired two missiles at the engine, the second one more as a backup in case for some reason the first one missed. They both hit and the engine was destroyed. "We're almost done…"

The Arkbird was gliding now. It was a beautiful and horrifying sight at the same time.

"We won't let anyone stop us," Adler said.

"Really? Then what are we doing right now?" I asked, not sure if he could hear me or not.

"You're merely slowing us down. The Arkbird is invincible!"

"Yeah, they said the _Titanic _was unsinkable. Look what happened there," I pointed out with a snort.

"Who are you?"

"You may call me Dr. Evil!" I exclaimed, just to mess with them. I was pretty sure I had lost my complete sanity right then and there. "If you're trying to imagine what I look like, don't forget to have my pinky at the corner of my mouth."

"What is your problem?" Adler questioned, incensed.

"I just like to mess with you because honestly, I don't think even Thunderhead was this easy to infuriate."

"You have issues."

"All because of y'all," I chirped.

"Blaze, I'm not sure if you're a genius or just plain mad," Snow said thoughtfully.

"I would prefer the former but the latter makes for a better excuse," I replied.

"Yes… yes it does," Snow agreed.

"See this thing through to the very last moment," Adler barked. The Arkbird was plummeting towards the ocean now. Somehow, the crew was still able to control it.

"It's still flying… are we going to make it in time?" Grimm queried.

"We will. It has to run out of backup plans sooner or later," I said.

"Roger. It should be hurting pretty badly at this point…"

We flew around, trying to find a target on the Arkbird to fire at, but none appeared on radar.

"Carrying out the backup plan may be impossible under these conditions," mumbled Adler. "Altitude dropping. Controls malfunctioning."

"Arkbird still descending," Nagase informed.

"What a pitiful sight," Snow said.

"Yes. And humans are responsible for it," Grimm agreed solemnly.

I flew behind the Arkbird, trying to memorize its beauty, trying to remember the Arkbird as it was before it was taken by the Belkans and turned into a monster. Black smoke started rising up from it but I couldn't pinpoint the location that the smoke originated from.

"Look at that smoke. It's in its death throes," Snow said.

"Is it finally out of surprises?" I asked no one in particular.

"Impossible… dammit, how can this be?!" demanded Adler. "Hurry! We can't go down yet! We must regroup. We can still do this. We're seeing this through to the end! Switch to auxiliary engines!"

It amazed me how determined Adler was but at the same time, most Belkans were like this. Most had an amazing amount of determination in them.

Then I realized Adler had said to fire up the auxiliary engines. That bird had too many engines…

"The Arkbird's fired up its last engine!" Nagase announced.

"Fighting with its last breath, huh? That thing will not quit!" Grimm muttered.

I fell back a few feet as the Arkbird went vertical, heading towards space. It was barely over one thousand feet above the ocean. With the engine it was using, it wouldn't be close to the ocean for long if we didn't do something. I locked onto the engine and fired two missiles. They hit but did little damage.

"It's barely holding itself together. What a terrible sight," Grimm said sadly.

"Now it's just an ordinary, oversized plane," Snow said as I fired two more missiles, adding my guns to the mix. I had underestimated how much damage my first two missiles had done because the engine was destroyed. I stared, my shock numbing me. I hadn't known that destroying the Arkbird was going to affect me like this. I felt hollow, like I had just lost part of me. It was strange. I had no real interest in the Arkbird, that was Nagase, but I felt like I was betraying my country for destroying it. Perhaps it was because although the Belkans had control of the Arkbird, it was made by Osea, therefore it still seemed like it was Osean property to me and how was I helping my country if I was destroying its masterpieces?

**MISSION ACCOMPLISHED**

"… Damn you, Razgriz…" Adler snarled.

We were silent as we watched miniature explosions start up on the Arkbird as it fell towards the ocean. I think all of us had some degree of the feeling that what we had just done was wrong, even if we had prevented the Arkbird from nuking Osean territory. I don't know, but it felt wrong destroying something made by our country; it didn't help that it was so beautiful and graceful in appearance.

I was flying low to the ocean, near where the Arkbird was rapidly disappearing into the ocean; probably not the smartest thing to do. My stupidity was rewarded with my plane getting sprayed with salt water from the underwater explosion of the Arkbird. It wasn't a lot of water but enough to tell me to fly higher up to dry the water off my windshield. The explosion itself rocketed water up at least five hundred feet. It was some explosion which didn't help the horrible feeling in my stomach.

"… Nagase?" Grimm asked quietly. "You okay?"

"I've had better days," She replied quietly. We left it at that and headed home in a stunned, depressed silence.

I think Pops must've guessed we were shaken up by the whole ordeal because he had the briefer state what had happened while we were flying back to the Kestrel.

"We succeeded in halting the Arkbird's nuclear attack on the city of Okchabursk in Yuktobania. The Arkbird crashed into the middle of the Ceres Ocean after attempting to detonate the nuke above Osea. Miraculously, there were no ships near the area of the crash site. According to our investigation team, there is currently no evidence of radiation fallout in the area."

When we landed Genette, Cassie, Pops, Andersen, and to my complete surprise, Geller, were there to greet us, although the greeting was pretty solemn.

"It had to be done," Pops told us gently.

Geller shifted uncomfortably before he quietly said, "I know it is not my position to say this being that I am a Belkan, your sworn enemy at the moment, but I feel your loss… the bird was beautiful and Belkans have always fancied beautiful objects."

"Thank you, Geller," I said softly. He gave me a sympathetic half-smile.

"You all need to get some rest. What you did was no easy task," Anderson ordered, not unkindly. All of us were too tired to argue so we headed to our rooms. I escorted Geller back to his room with guards in front and behind us. He might have convinced Pops and Andersen he wasn't going to try and escape (because honestly, where was he going to go? We were in the middle of the Arctic surrounded by freezing cold water) but he was still a threat.

"Will you be all right, Miss Blaze?" Geller asked before he entered his room.

"I'll be fine once I get some rest. I'll talk to you tomorrow, I promise." Geller nodded and I headed to my room.

I plopped on my bed.

Everyone else was already asleep. The only sound I could hear was the water gently hitting the sides of the boat. In that moment, everything started to catch up with me: the exhaustion, the pressure, the tension, the loss of Chopper.

A tear rolled down my face before I could even try and stop myself.

It was the first time in nine years.

I cried.

* * *

**Okay that took a way longer time to update than I had anticipated! But that's what I get for going out of the country and not bringing my laptop with me. I'm sorry about that. For some reason this chapter was a pain to write. Anyways, now that I'm on summer vacation, the updates should be coming quicker. Hope you enjoyed! Oh, although this is a long ways off, I was thinking of having an interview with the Razgriz as the very last chapter but I need questions and I suck at creating them so if you have any questions for any of the Razgriz (Chopper included, whether he lives or dies in this story), message them to me. Okay, bye! No review= no update!**


	28. Reconciliation

**I think this has my quickest update of this story since last summer. Shocking, right? Here's a fun little question for you: What was Blaze's original nickname before Kid?**

**Have fun :P Here's the next chapter.**

**Quote of the Chapter:  
**"**I never complain about my missions, what I'm doing now is not complaining."  
****~Chopper (from Acepedia)**

* * *

Chapter 28: Reconciliation

**Pixy**

**Two days ago, December 19, 2010…**

I watched as Blaze ran up to President Harling, whispering something into his ear and handing him a small slip of paper. I could see Harling smile before stepping onto the helicopter and saluting the pilots that had saved our lives just a week and half ago. It seemed like an eternity since then. I must admit, being on the Kestrel was much better than being in Stier castle where the Belkans look at you, and you can just tell that they would kill you in an instant if they weren't on orders to keep us alive. They would've loved to kill me. They all knew me personally. I was a traitor to their country in their eyes…my country as well. But if your country would willingly kill you for fighting for freedom, I don't see how there would be strong feelings of allegiance right there.

"What's that?" I inquired, nodding my head towards the paper. Harling said nothing but he did give me a small smile. I looked out the small window of the helicopter; I could still see the Kestrel. It was rapidly disappearing as the helicopter flew over the icy landscape but I could just make out the shape of six figures: three girls and three boys. Instantly I could see which one was Blaze because although the sky was overcast, her hair had this ability to act like a beacon in any light and you could find her without any difficulty. Nagase and Cassie were next to her. Snow stood behind Blaze. He was easy to figure out because that guy was big… length wise, not width. I couldn't figure out which one was Genette and which one was Grimm because they were about the same height and they had almost the exact same color hair, a light brown. I think it was Genette who was taller, but not by much.

I glanced at Harling who was conversing with the pilots. You would think I would be nervous being right next to the President but actually, I was surprisingly calm. Perhaps it was because he was so calm himself, or perhaps it was because I had been stuck with him in that castle for so long. He didn't act all pompous like a lot of politicians I had met, and I've met quite a few, including the notorious Waldemarr Rald. I may be Belkan, and I know that Belkans should always want to serve their country, but after meeting Rald, I would rather serve any other country _but_ Belka. Rald is a psychopath that will stop at nothing to get what he wants. He always gets what he wants. I should say that a majority of the world's population believes him to be dead.

I know better. I don't trust anyone to be dead unless there's a body as proof. The countries that had fought against the Belkans in the war fifteen years ago had searched relentlessly for Rald, but found nothing. It was only recently that they stopped looking, claiming him to be dead, only about a year ago. Harling had been against it, along with Nikanor and Yusupova (President of Ustio); however, the COA (Ceres Ocean Alliance: abbreviated as COA and pronounced like "cow." Don't ask me why we created an alliance with an abbreviation that is pronounced like cow…) were overruled and the search stopped. Of course, that didn't mean Harling had completely given up. While Nikanor took the decision gracefully and didn't argue any further, Harling secretly teamed up with Yusupova and together they created a top secret group of people from all branches of the military, Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marines, and agents of the OIA (Osean Intelligence Agency) and UIA (Ustian Intelligence Agency). I had been part of the operation since the beginning, being a part of the Ustian force; in total, there were fifty of us. We were a small group but our determination and dedication was so strong that size barely mattered.

We started to find leads that Rald was still alive, that he was hiding. They were simple clues that could easily be overlooked, and they had been when the countries as one had been searching for him, but when we looked over the evidence we had gathered and checked, it was then that we started finding the real clues. There had been reports of Waldemarr Rald look-a-likes all over Belka, but everyone that had been searching for him had dismissed it. Well, we decided to look over them again. Naturally, there were some photos that made us wonder how the hell people thought the person looked like Waldemarr Rald. On the other hand, there were a fair few photos that had a man that resembled Rald. We did a photo analysis on each one and we had five photos that were marked as the same person. We started searching for him. No one but our group, Harling, and Yusupova knew about our mission to find the guy.

And then somehow, how plan was found out, and one by one, we disappeared. The first was a guy named Jackson Nuremburg. We still haven't found him. When over half our group had disappeared, Harling decided to go talk to the leader of Belka, Prince Eric van Goth. Yusupova was caught up in other affairs and was therefore unable to attend the meeting, so he sent me as an ambassador.

We left October 22, and that was the first time I had ever heard of the Sand Island Squadron. I was listening to the chatter over the radio through my headphones and I could hear everything that was going on. I started laughing at some points of the conversation between the pilots. I hadn't realized that I would very soon be meeting the people who would ultimately save my life. There was some guy named Chopper but I knew he wasn't on the Kestrel because I would've met him because I could tell he and Blaze had a thing for each other, if they weren't already dating.

Then, when I was rescued by the Kestrel's forces, I heard them over the radio again, but only barely because I was almost unconscious.

**Two days later, December 19, 2010…**

I was in the President's house in his living room. He had finally given in to his obvious exhaustion. We had arrived secretly which was no small feat. Guards were posted all over the grounds now, with AK-47s locked and loaded. I wished I could join them instead of sitting around here doing nothing. It was never like me to sit around and do nothing. I even knew how to work an AK-47 because I had fought in the Usian Continental War, fighting against Free Erusea. They were as bad as the A World With No Boundaries.

It was three in the afternoon as I sat there staring at the piece of paper Harling had given to me two days ago. Actually, the paper was from Blaze because she had told Harling to give it to me. On it was a phone number. I didn't think it was Blaze's because even though she was very attractive, she was bit young for me. I didn't like to date girls that much younger than me. Besides, from what I heard over the radio chatter when I was captured, she seemed pretty in love with that Chopper guy.

I reached for my cell phone. Flipping it open, I dialed the number. It rang three times before someone picked it up.

"Hello?" A deep voice answered. I wondered why on earth Blaze had given him some random dude's number, but on the other hand, the voice did sound strangely familiar. "Hello?"

I realized I had spaced out trying to figure out who this guy was. "Hello. This is Larry Foulke. An acquaintance of mine gave me your number. I'm not quite sure why to be honest."

There was silence.

"Hello?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yo buddy, you still alive?" The voice asked, sounding cool. I dropped my phone unceremoniously on the floor from the shock of the guy's sentence; it was very un-Belkan of me to have that type of reaction. Hurriedly, I picked it back up.

"Cipher?" I managed to ask.

"I was wondering when you were going to call me," Cipher said as if he talked to me every day.

"But how-"

"But how does Blaze know me?"

"Yeah."

"She's my niece, Genette's my nephew."

"She flies just like you, you know," I said.

"Does she? I'm not sure whether that's a good or bad thing. How are she and Genette? She told me that Genette was fine and that she was dealing with Chopper's death but I don't really believe that."

"Who is Chopper?"

"He was Elizabeth's fiancé. He died during a combat mission: a flyby over November International Stadium."

"I never knew that…" I said. Poor Blaze. So that's who Chopper was. No wonder she always had a faraway look in her eyes when she thought no one was watching. No wonder her determination to shoot down the BAF was so intense. Her fighting reasons had turned personal.

"She doesn't like to talk about it. She took it pretty hard…" Cipher said sadly. "So how did you meet Elizabeth anyways?"

"She saved my life, twice actually. Mine and the Presidents."

"That's my girl," said Cipher, obviously proud of Blaze. "What happened?"

I went into the whole story, how I had joined looking for Rald and how I had been sent as an ambassador for Yusupova and captured by the Belkans. Cipher whistled. "Damn, Pixy. What is it with you always ending up in those crappy situations?"

"Yeah, tell me about it. My arm is still healing but I get the cast off in a few weeks thank God. So tell me how you've been… buddy."

I heard Cipher chuckle. "Pretty well, I've just been lying low these last few years, moving from one place to another. I'm kind of paranoid about the Belkans finding me and trying to kill me." I snorted. "How about you? I mean besides almost being killed twice… and having your arm in a cast… and being hunted by the Belkans again?" Cipher asked somewhat sheepishly.

Good ole Cipher. He really reminded me of Blaze at that moment because she did the same exact thing when she was asking questions and forgot to add something, where she would ask the main question, pause, add something, pause again, and repeat.

"I've certainly had better days but I'm all right for the most part," I said.

"That's good. Have you been flying lately?"

"No. You?"

"Haven't been up in the air since December 31, 1995." Naturally, I knew that date as if it were my birthday.

There was an awkward silence between us as I sighed. Being around the Ustian forces for so long had made me more like them and less like a Belkan. I didn't like that feeling. "Not our best moment."

"We were trying to kill each other… well, I wasn't but…"

"I was mad, Cipher. I hardly remember anything from that day… what happened to your wingman? I mean, I know he lived but he didn't seem inclined to talk to me when I met him."

"PJ? You met him? Well, he managed to bail out before your laser seared his plane into nothingness. He was in the hospital for a few months from head trauma but he's fine. He's living happily in Ustio right now with his wife and kids."

"Yeah. I met him. An interview about you with this reporter named Brett Thompson. Long story… What about you? Where do you live?"

"Southern Osea but I'm in Oured right now."

"Why?"

"Pleasure. Thought I would see the capital for once."

"I didn't realize we were so close," I said.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm just outside of Oured. I probably shouldn't be telling you this…"

"Why?"

"I'm with President Harling at his house. He's planning on taking back the government," I said, just deciding it was Cipher and that I could trust him. I had always been able to trust him in the past, so why not now?

"Tell Harling I say hi," Cipher told me.

"Why? Do you know him?"

"Yeah. He's been helping me keep hidden from other governments. I owe him big time."

I saw Harling come down the stairs, looking more refreshed but still tired. "Listen, Cipher, I have to go. I'll talk to you soon."

"Yeah, all right. Stay alive, buddy."

"You're the one that has to have protection. I should be telling you that." Cipher laughed but said nothing. "Stay alive, buddy."

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Cipher hung up. I was grinning. It was good to be talking to the practically the only friend I ever had. I was never really a people person.

"Who was that?" Harling questioned, yawning.

"An old buddy of mine," I replied.

"Cipher?"

"How'd you know that?" I asked, trying to hide my shock.

"Educated guess. Listen, I'm forming a plan but I need you to agree to it," President Harling said.

"Sir, you're the President of Osea. You could do anything you wanted," I pointed out.

"I know, but that's not how I like to run. I like to give people choices. My plan involves inviting a person to join our cause, however, although you might not mind conversing with him over the phone, it might be different in person."

"Are you suggesting we involve Cipher?" I inquired, dumbfounded. I mean sure, I enjoyed talking to him on the phone but what if he was only being nice to me over the phone. Knowing my shitty luck, he would knock me out the minute he saw me in person. Honestly, I wouldn't blame him.

"Yes."

* * *

**December 22, 2010…**

**Blaze**

I knocked on Geller's door with my shoe, concentrating on not spilling my tea and his coffee; his muffled response told me I could come in. Balancing his coffee on my arm, I carefully opened the door.

"Here, take it before I drop it," I ordered. Geller got up and took the coffee cup from me gratefully.

"Thank you, Miss Blaze," He said, sitting down on his bed. I shut the door and sat down in my chair. I had designated it my chair because I sat there every single time I came to visit him.

"Sorry I haven't been able to come visit you. We've been receiving messages from my old captain and we've been trying to figure out where he is exactly."

"Your old captain? You have not always been captain?" Geller inquired curiously, taking a sip of his coffee.

"No, it's a long story though. Anyway, so how are you?"

"I am well. How are you holding up?"

"I'm good." Geller raised his eyebrow, telling me he knew I was lying. "Okay, fine, I'm still upset that we had to destroy the Arkbird but I know it had to be done."

"That is what I thought."

"You're worse than my brother," I retorted.

"What do you mean?"

"He can always see when I'm lying just like you."

Geller just grinned before excusing himself to go use the bathroom. I started to think about everyone else and if they could tell I was lying and that I was fooling myself into thinking I was a fantastic liar. The thought didn't settle well with me but I knew it was a possibility.

I let my eyes wander around the room. There wasn't much to see except the water and frozen land outside through the porthole. My gaze lazily drifted past his dresser and it was then that I saw a piece of paper, photo paper by the looks of it, underneath it. Glancing at the bathroom door to make sure he wasn't coming out, I grabbed the photo. In it was a woman, late twenties or early thirties, with raven hair and startling green eyes. She held a small girl in her arms, probably only about four. The girl looked just like the woman.

"Where did you find that?" Geller snapped, snatching the photo out of my hands. I hadn't even heard him come out of the bathroom. Damn…

"I found it underneath the dresser… who are they?" I asked softly.

Geller sat down on his bed, staring at the photo. His hands, I noticed, were slightly trembling. "My wife Rowena and my daughter Helena."

"They're both beautiful," I told him.

"I love them so much. I miss them terribly…" Geller placed the photo on his nightstand and stood up to stare out the window. "I met Rowena in high school. She was a sophomore, I was senior. The first time we met, we hated each other and would pick on each other constantly. Then I graduated and when I came back two years later, she rear ended me because some car slammed into her car. The only thing we had was whiplash from the entire thing. Anyways, it probably wasn't the best time for me to ask her out on a date but I did and she accepted. After that, everything just sort of clicked. We were married two years later. Helena was born a year and a half after we were married."

"How old is Helena?"

"Four. She'll be five in January. I wish I could be with them right now. Rowena… she is sick and I am not sure if she is going to make it."

"Would you mind if I asked what is wrong?"

"She has cancer. It is the second time she has had it."

"She's so young to have it already, not to mention twice."

"I know and that is what scares me. The more it returns, the weaker she gets, and I do not know when her last day will be. But when that day comes, I want to be there with her… but now, I do not know if I'll be able to."

I was silent, not sure what to say. Geller looked so forlorn looking out the window that I could hardly stand it.

"I'll be back," I said suddenly, leaving the room. Geller looked bewildered but said nothing. I headed straight to the bridge where Pops and Andersen were. Thankfully, when I got there, they were alone.

"Pops? Captain Andersen? May I speak with you?" I questioned, shifting uneasily from foot to foot. I was probably going to have my head ripped off for what I was about to propose.

"Yes, Blaze?" Pops replied.

"I wanted to make a proposal but you need to know that background of my reasoning first. What do you know about Geller besides that he's in a part of the Belkan military?"

"We know he was part of an operation to create some military software. We're still trying to figure out what software it is. We also know that he's married, has an only child, and has a sister."

"Did you know his wife has cancer? For the second time?" I asked quietly. Pops scrunched his eyebrows at the new information. Andersen bowed his head.

"How old is she?"

"I think only about twenty five or twenty six."

"That's horrible. I feel bad for him. So was that what you wanted us to know?"

"Yes."

"Then tell us, what is your proposal?"

"I wanted to ask your permission before I told Geller but I would like to do an interrogation on record and in return for him giving us correct and truthful answers, we will let him call his wife and daughter."

"Blaze, what you are proposing could be dangerous to our cause. He could send a secret message and then we could be destroyed," Pops pointed out.

"I know, that's why he'll have a limited time to talk to her and I'll be present when he does talk to her," I argued, trying to keep the pleading out of my voice.

"I don't know Blaze…" Pops said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Please, I don't think he will do anything to give away our whereabouts."

"Are you getting attached to Geller, Blaze?" Andersen inquired calmly. His question shocked me, more from the absurdity of it than Andersen insinuating that I _liked_ Geller.

"No!" I declared vehemently. In a calmer tone, I added, "It's just that I get where he's coming from."

Andersen and Pops looked at each other. A telepathic message seemed to pass between the two. Hopefully they weren't agreeing to put me in a mental institute…

"All right, you can do this Blaze but I caution you, what you're doing could easily be the death of us."

"I know. And if something happens to us because of what I'm doing, I'll take full responsibility. Be in the interrogation room at 1500 hours." I turned on my heel and walked out of the room to go get Geller. He was lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling but turned his head when he heard me approach.

"Where did you go? You ran out of here like a cat out of hell," Geller said.

"Bat, not cat," I corrected. When Geller looked at me blankly, I added, "Bat out of hell. I ran like a bat out of hell."

"Oh. All these idiots confuse me," Geller said, shaking his head.

"Idioms, not idiots," I corrected again. Geller swore in Belkan. "Listen, I didn't come to correct you on the Osean language. I came to get you because you're going to the interrogation room."

Geller jolted up on his bed, his eyes ablaze with fury. "Is _that_ why you went running out of here? So that you could get me in the interrogation room?"

"Yes and no. Yes, I'm the reason you're going to be interrogated. No because I made a deal with Pops and Andersen and if you answer our questions truthfully, and we'll know if you do or don't, there's a surprise for you at the end."

"What kind of surprise?" Geller queried warily.

"Something I know you want to do but I can't tell you just yet because we need your full cooperation. Do you agree?"

There was a long silence; I was worried that he was going to refuse, but with a certain amount of irritation in his voice, he agreed. I breathed a sigh of relief and told him to follow me. We walked through the winding corridors to the interrogation room with guards in front and behind us. Pops and Andersen were outside waiting to greet me.

"Blaze," Pops and Andersen said, nodding their heads.

"Sirs," I replied, saluting.

"At ease Captain; Guards, escort Geller into the room," Andersen commanded. With a look of reproach aimed at me, Geller let the guards take him into the room.

"Let me do the talking. He won't expect me to be the only one interrogating. Besides, he's more comfortable around me," I informed, staring directly at Pops. For some reason, Andersen's ice blue stare at the current moment was making me uneasy.

"All right. You seem to know what you're doing, but please, don't make us regret this," Pops told me, a certain amount of pleading in his tone.

"I promise." I walked into the interrogation room. Geller didn't even bother to look, already expecting Pops or Andersen… or both.

"I will only talk to Blaze," Geller said furiously.

"I know you'll only talk to me," I said, shutting the door. Geller snapped his head in my direction.

"What is all this about, Miss Blaze? What do you want to know?"

"I want to know about this software you designed for the Belkans." I started walking in circles around the room. My nerves, along with a sleepless few nights, were giving me the jitters and it helped me to be up and about.

"It was top secret software."

"What was it used for?"

"They did not tell me what they would be using it for, just that they needed something that was practically impossible to decode. I did as they asked. I and the people I gave it to are the only ones who know how to use it."

"Who are they? And who are the people you gave it to?"

"My bosses are the ones who ordered me to make it. I do not know who it was for though."

"Geller…"

"I do not know!" Geller declared heatedly.

"All right, I believe you. Tell me, do you know about the Belkan Nationalist group called the Gray Men?"

"Of course. Everyone in Belka knows who they are. They are legends."

"Do you know if they still exist?"

"Of course they do. They have always existed, but they choose to show up at certain times, such as during the Belkan War. They are participating in this war as well, that I am sure of, but I am not sure of what part they are playing in this whole affair."

"Do you think they are the ones who are using your software?"

"It would not surprise me. A group as radical and determined as them would do anything to keep their plans safe. Having an almost impenetrable software would be a good way to achieve that."

"I haven't been telling you everything about our missions because I could not know what you could be trusted to know. During the first mission after we took you as a POW, I went to Mt. Schirm and saw the 8492nd Squadron. What I found out was that Grabacr were pretending to fight for Osea while Ofnir was pretending to fight for Yuktobania. The second mission after we took you POW, my squadron and I were sent to stop the Belkans from taking nukes out of the tunnel. Unfortunately, we were too late to stop them from taking a nuclear weapon but we were able to seal off the rest. I know not all of the Belkans want to fight against Osea and Yuktobania. I know many of them want peace. I know that many Belkans are against using nuclear weapons. I also know that you are one of those people. So let me ask you this: if we somehow found a software that we could not crack, would you be willing to look at it and see if it is yours?" I looked him dead in the eye. His gaze did not waver when he replied, "Yes."

"And would you be willing to help us crack it if the time came?"

"Yes." There was just a little bit of hesitation in his answer, but he looked sincere in his answer.

"Thank you, Geller. Let me go talk to Pops and Andersen real quick and then you can get your surprise."

Geller nodded as I exited the room. Pops and Andersen opened their door and looked at me with a look of… respect?

"Can he have his call?" I asked seriously. Pops nodded as Andersen handed me a portable telephone for Geller to use. I smiled as I entered the interrogation room again.

"Here," I said, handing the phone to Geller.

"What is this for?" He asked, flipping the phone over in his hand.

"Call your wife and daughter. I apologize when I say I have to be present because I am sure you would like the conversation to be private but we have to make sure you are not sending a secret code of our whereabouts and you have only five minutes."

Geller stared at me. "You are allowing me to call my wife and daughter?"

"Yes, sir."

"God bless you," Geller murmured before dialing the number with shaking hands. I felt myself smile as I sat down across from him. I stared at the table, wanting to give him the little privacy he could have, and started counting down how much time he had left on the clock.

He spoke in Belkan. I figured he would. While many Belkans spoke English, they preferred not to when they were with conversing with natives. I could hear a hysterical sobbing over the phone. I heard Geller tell his wife and daughter he loved them, that he was being treated nicely, even as a POW. He sang a short song to his daughter; I could hear her laughing and clapping along to it. He told them he wasn't sure how long it would be until he was able to see them again but that they were in his hearts. He asked Rowena how her cancer was; apparently, she was getting better, that the chemotherapy was helping. The timer I had reached five minutes and I alerted Geller his time was up. It shocked me to see his eyes sparkling.

"I must go," he told her. "My time is up. I will speak to you as soon as I possibly can. I love both of you so much."

His wife and daughter tearfully said goodbye before hanging up.

"You okay?" I questioned softly.

"I am now. Miss Blaze, you are an angel," Geller said.

"That's ironic seeing how I'm the leader of the Razgriz." Geller grinned. "Time to go back to your room."

Geller stood up; we walked to his room in silence. By the look on his face, he seemed pretty happy.

"Good day, Geller," I told him. He returned the saying and I headed back to my room, for the first time in a long time, feeling pleased with myself.

* * *

**Okay, I decided to end it there. It seemed like a good place for a chapter that didn't have mission in it. Besides, if it had had a mission in it, this would've been a very long chapter. Please review! They mean so much to me! As long as they're not flames though. Also, no review=no update!**


	29. Heartbreak One

**Thanks to all my reviewers! I just realized that I have four more missions (including this one) until the actual game part is finished… holy blonde cheerleader batman! (**_**Supernatural**_** quote, couldn't resist, sorry). Alright, read on.**

**Quote of the Chapter:  
**"**Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."  
****~Napoleon Bonaparte**

* * *

Heartbreak One

**Grimm**

It had been a while since I had seen Blaze so upbeat, so… cheerful. It was hard not to be, even if you didn't know Bartlett personally. The guy had a rep in the military that would put Charlie Sheen to shame… okay, that might be a bit far-fetched but you get the idea.

Nagase was so ecstatic that she had been up since four in the morning. It was six right now. Blaze, Nagase, Snow, Genette, Cassie, and I were in the briefing room, waiting impatiently for the briefing to begin.

Finally, at six-fifteen, the briefing started. All of us were fidgeting at the anticipation.

"Captain Bartlett has rescued Prime Minister Nikanor of Yuktobania. He plans to attack an airfield in northeast Yuktobania, steal an airplane, and then escape with the Prime Minister. First, go to the directed area and wait for contact from Captain Bartlett. He'll likely have you support him as he forces his way into the airfield. More mission details will be supplied to you upon arriving at the local airspace. Threat status in the area of operation is unclear, so prepare your flight for the possibility of threats from both the ground and the air."

Operation: Crossroad

Location: Pobeda Peninsula

Date: 2010/12/22

Time: 2100 HRS

Blaze once again already had our planes picked out: the F-14A for her and Nagase and the F-14B for me and Snow. It took us barely fifteen minutes for us to get set and take off… however, we had to wait until nine-forty-five to actually take off. Since we were going to be taking a night flight, we got our rest. It didn't take us long. None of us really got sleep on here because we were always so busy. There was one day we had all been allowed to sleep in but only Blaze had taken advantage of it, sleeping in until eleven or something. The rest of us had gotten up at eight or something.

However, once we were wide awake (thanks to lots of caffeine we had after we woke up), it hit us that we were going to be flying through the night. Thankfully, there was going to be a mid-air refueling on the way there (how Andersen had pulled that off, I have no idea) so we didn't have to worry too much about fuel and the Kestrel was going to meet up with us on the way back. My worry was that we weren't going to be able to stay awake.

I do believe at one point during the trip over to Yuktobania that Blaze and Nagase put their planes on autopilot and slept a little bit. When we were nearing the operation area, Snow and I tried to wake them up but they were pretty heavy sleepers so we tried a different tactic. I got behind Nagase and Snow got behind Blaze and we had our planes get a missile lock on them.

Blaze swore colorfully as she woke up and quickly took her plane off autopilot and pulled evasive maneuvers that I didn't even know existed; Nagase did likewise except Blaze's maneuvers were more psychotic. No wonder no one was able to shoot her down.

"Son of a bitch," Blaze mumbled. "That was not funny you two."

I was trying not to laugh, and I could tell Snow was attempting to do the same.

"Sorry, you two, but neither of you were waking up by conventional means… and it's not like we could poke you awake," I said. "And I can't believe Blaze just cussed.

"I think my hair just took on a gray streak from that scare. Thanks a lot you two," Nagase snapped.

"Sorry, but we had to wake you. We're almost at the operation area," Snow apologized.

Blaze started to say something when Bartlett's voice came over the radio. "It's me… I'm okay so far, and the car's hidden under a bush…"

I heard Blaze say something really quietly; it sounded like, "That's one big bush."

Bartlett continued. "Other resistance members are hidden all over the place… but I still got a bad feeling about this. We're storming the gate at zero-seven-zero-five hours. Keep us covered. I'm countin' on you. I think there's gonna be an ambush waiting for us… it's good to see you all again."

I held back from saying the fourth man he thought was Chopper wasn't Chopper. He'd figure it out sooner or later if he hadn't already.

When Bartlett appeared on my radar, the briefer updated our mission. "According to Captain Bartlett's information, the resistance has already infiltrated the airfield and is currently awaiting his arrival. The road to the airfield is covered with checkpoints and defensive positions. We anticipate stiff resistance. Provide close air support for Captain Bartlett's charge, give him aerial assistance as necessary, and guide him to the air field. The resistance has already agreed on a time to begin operations with Captain Bartlett, so the timing of the mission cannot be changed. If you do not arrive in time, the resistance will be suppressed by the airfield defense forces and the mission will end in failure. After arriving, the resistance will load Prime Minister Nikanor onto a captured transport plane, and Captain Bartlett will attempt to escape. You must help Captain Bartlett arrive at the airfield on time, no matter what."

Once again, a long and lovely briefing… I do hope you caught on with my sarcasm on the 'lovely' part of that statement. We flew in standard formation until Blaze gave us the order to disperse. There was really nothing so far so we just flew in a straight line. Blaze on the other hand seemed to want to greet Bartlett. She flew down so low to the ground I thought she was going to crash, but of course this was Blaze so she didn't.

"Blaze, you remind me of me with that arrogance in flying," Bartlett pointed out.

"I learned from the best," Blaze countered casually, as if she talked to Bartlett all the time. I had a feeling that if Bartlett had said that to her when she was in his squadron for the first time, she would have been embarrassed, not countering with witty remarks.

"Glad to see someone besides Chopper has the ability to have witty remarks; speaking of Motormouth, where is he? He's awfully quiet."

"Wrong question to ask Bartlett," I thought.

I couldn't seem to find my voice to explain, and neither it seemed could Blaze or Nagase, but Blaze didn't really surprise me. No matter how hard she tried, I could tell she was still upset over the whole ordeal. She wasn't the only one to be honest. I find myself reliving that nightmare in my dreams over and over again. I'm sure Blaze did, too.

Thankfully, Snow said what we couldn't. "He's dead. He crashed in November Stadium after a flyby. They were ambushed and were completely outnumbered. No reinforcements came until it was too late."

Snow said it in a gentle voice, something I didn't know he was capable of. I think the gentleness was for us. Usually, he was all professional in his tone but not this time. Even though he and Chopper hadn't necessarily gotten along real well, he was still kind in his tone explaining. I appreciated it because it was still hard to say Chopper was dead aloud.

"Damn…" Bartlett muttered. We elapsed into an awkward silence.

Finally, Bartlett broke it, sounding unaffected but even I could hear the tinge of sadness that lingered in his voice. "This is Heartbreak One. The jailbreak tour starts here. We're counting on your escort from the air."

"Yes, sir," Blaze said. It amazed me how calm she sounded after Chopper was mentioned.

"I'll be witnessing your bravery from down here, everyone," A woman said. Who on earth was that? However, she acted as if her position was a high-ranking one and in all truthfulness, she intimidated me… funny considering I was in the presence of Blaze and Nagase and Cassie all the time and they made boys and men quake in their shoes.

"Y-yes, Ma'am!" I said.

"Um… is there someone else in the car?" Nagase inquired cautiously.

"Me?" she inquired before chuckling. "I'm Mystery Woman Number One."

"Nice to meet you Mystery Woman Number One," Blaze greeted.

"You too," Mystery Woman Number One replied. God that's a mouthful to say.

"Razgriz, engage!" Blaze ordered as she started to chase a plane. I knew it had no hope the minute Blaze got behind it. I noticed that whenever Chopper was mentioned, Blaze seemed to fill her role as a Demon of Razgriz even more. Today was no exception. She shot that plane as if it were flying in two feet in front of her.

"Archer, engaging!"

"Edge, engaging!"

"Swordsman, engaging!"

"There's a fork up ahead. We have two choices," announced Mystery Woman Number One. "Take the shorter way and face heavy attacks, or take the safer route which takes more time."

"Hey Kid, which route looks better to you? Should I take the shorter one?" Bartlett asked Blaze.

"Yes, sir. The quicker we get out of here, the better."

"Okay, I'll bust through the shortcut," Bartlett declared. I glanced down in the dim light, but it was enough to see the heavy defense that would be blocking them.

"They're going through there?" I asked dubiously.

"That's why we're here Grimm. We're supposed to kick these peoples' asses if they try to stop Bartlett," Snow pointed out.

"I see where Blaze learned her insanity from," I admitted jokingly.

"I've always been insane; I've just learned how to hide it and I believe I've done a fairly good job of it. At least I haven't been compared to Charlie Sheen like Chopper was," Blaze said, laughing. It was the first time I had heard her laugh while mentioning Chopper at the same time. It gave me hope that she might just be okay without him…

"Only Chopper could pull that off," Bartlett said.

"You're next on the list of people that could do it Bartlett," Blaze told him mischievously.

"That's more of an insult to be compared to Charlie Sheen," Snow said.

"I said something of that degree to Chopper," Blaze replied. Changing the subject rather quickly, Blaze asked, "So Mystery Woman Number One, has Captain Bartlett told you about us?"

"He told me all about you guys," Mystery Woman Number One answered. "Kid, Chopper, and… umm…"

Nagase cleared her throat, something she had never done before. I think Mystery Woman Number One was sort of pissing her off. She did seem kind of hoity-toity come to think of it. "Nagase… Kei Nagase."

"I'm Grimm, callsign Archer, but call me Grimm," I introduced myself politely.

"And Razgriz Four is Captain Snow, callsign Swordsman," Blaze added.

"Nice to meet you," Snow greeted. Mystery Woman Number One returned it.

An enemy plane got a missile lock on me but not for long. I evaded it easily with a slight turn of my joystick. I got behind the enemy plane and fired. It was an easy target, and I quickly shot it down.

"Kurseli, is the Prime Minister all right?" Bartlett demanded. I watched him navigate the terrain. It was a pretty impressive sight.

"He's regaining consciousness. They injected him with some kind of drug," Kurseli told him.

Blaze was flying in circles above Bartlett as we waited for more targets. Nagase and Snow had both shot down enemy helicopters. Nothing was on radar so far.

"Hey," Bartlett warned, "don't be showing those legs too much. It's distracting."

"Don't think I need to know what's on your mind right now," Blaze said.

"Hey now," Bartlett protested.

"I mean, I think it's pretty obvious," Blaze added with amusement.

"You have a warped mind, Blaze."

"And I wonder where I got _that_ from?" Blaze remarked sarcastically.

"Yeah, yeah. Now get ready to fire," Bartlett commanded. Finally, ground targets appeared. Blaze allowed me to use my special weapons so that's what I did. But then I realized it might hit Bartlett's faction and I decided against using them. Instead, I used my guns to fire. I wanted to save my missiles for enemy planes that I was sure we were going to encounter.

"Keep away from the enemy's eyes. If you can't, stab 'em in the eyes," Bartlett said. It was sort of a random quote but since I didn't know the guy too well and I wanted him to like me, I kept my mouth shut. Blaze meanwhile…

"Thank you for that oh-so lovely image. It's not as if I have nightmares of eyeless people already," Blaze muttered.

"You have dreams of eyeless people?" Nagase questioned curiously.

"Yes, and they are no picnic, that's for damn sure."

"Kid, you developed a mouth on you," Bartlett noted.

Blaze harrumphed. "This is nothing. Believe me. I don't think you ever told Thunderblockhead to go screw himself and then add he already has."

Bartlett whistled. "I was hoping someone would have the guts to say that to him but I never expected it to be you."

"I didn't expect it to be from me either," Blaze replied sheepishly.

Blaze did a rolling dive, firing missiles at the two remaining targets. They weren't necessary to destroy but we weren't going to take any risks.

"Yee-hah! We're bustin' through! Hey Kid, break down the front gate for me!" Bartlett shouted.

"I'm way ahead of you, Captain!"

In fact, she was. Well, _we_ were. We had all destroyed something of the 'front gate' as Bartlett called it. However, howitzers were there to greet Bartlett up ahead… and they were within firing range.

"Uh oh, here they come! They're firing at us," Bartlett informed… as he drove straight towards them. I grinned.

"Nice! Now there's a real man!" Snow approved.

"Wow, they actually made it through!" I acknowledged in a somewhat shocked state.

"Damn! They've got cannons," Bartlett griped. Then with a more humorous tone, he added, "How'd they pass training with that kinda aim? Get 'em, Kid!"

"My pleasure," Blaze replied. She was already on top of the howitzer. It only took two missiles to destroy the thing. At about the same time Blaze destroyed the howitzer, more ground enemies appeared on radar. The four of us headed over. Since Bartlett wasn't near the area yet, I released a special weapons missile, and apparently Snow had the same idea. We smoked half the enemies in one swift swoop.

"Bearing one hundred, range five thousand. Fire!" A Yuke G yelled.

"Evasive maneuvers! I'm gonna try weaving through the anti-aircraft fire," Bartlett told everyone.

Nagase dipped down to fly about a hundred feet above Bartlett.

"Nagase," Bartlett began, sounding droll. "You fly like that and you're still not dead. You're really something!"

If I hadn't heard stories about Bartlett from Blaze and Nagase and Chopper and Pops and Genette, I would've found his statement criticizing, but with Bartlett, that was most definitely a compliment. You always took a compliment from Bartlett. He was like the Chuck Norris of the Air Force.

"Thank you, Sir!"

"That you Grimm?" Bartlett queried. He didn't give me a chance to say yes. Apparently he already knew it was me. "I was planning to promote you to the squadron on the next evaluation."

It was shocking to hear but at the same time, it was a pleasing idea to know that this legend thought I was good enough to be promoted at the next evaluation, even though he never got the chance to do it. "Thank you very much, Sir!"

I started to trail an enemy plane but Blaze got there before me. I still went up and flew behind her in case she needed help, but I didn't think that was going to be necessary.

"Captain Snow from the Naval Air Force? Sorry I haven't introduced myself. I'm kind of shy, you know," Bartlett admitted. He actually seemed serious in saying that.

"So I hear, Captain. Greetings."

The enemy plane went up in a loop and so did Blaze and I. It didn't take much longer for Blaze to get a missile lock and shoot the enemy plane down. Seeing an enemy helicopter off in the distance, I headed out and shot it down. I liked those things. They were easy to destroy.

"Incoming from the left, right… and from the middle! We're in the middle of a crossfire!" A resistance member yelled.

Blaze swooped down in a loop, destroying two helicopters in the process.

"And I gather that's your brightest student?" Mystery Woman Number One said. There was no question as to whom she was referring.

"You mean Kid? Well, that goes without saying," Bartlett answered.

"You mean I'm your brightest student even with my kamikaze stunts?" Blaze asked in mock surprise.

"As you said, you learned from the best," Bartlett replied.

"You have no idea," Blaze said. I didn't know at the time how true that statement was.

"Watch the car ahead," A resistance member cautioned.

"I don't like not being able to move in three dimensions. Cramps my style," Bartlett admitted gruffly.

"Well then, I suggest you hurry up Watson," Blaze said seriously.

"I'm trying Sherlock so shut up," Bartlett snapped lightly.

"You're the one that has the fiancée," Blaze said.

"How'd you know?" Bartlett asked in shock. Apparently even he could be caught off guard.

"I was joking when I said that…" Blaze admitted.

"Hell of a joke," Mystery Woman Number One said with a chuckle.

"Please tell me you did not propose to her under that abnormally large bush where you were hiding earlier," Blaze pleaded.

"No, I did not. I proposed to her on the way there."

"I think the bush would've been better," Blaze acknowledged.

"Make up your mind: car or bush."

"Bush."

"You're impossible…" Bartlett muttered.

"I-"

"Learned it from the best, I know," Bartlett finished.

"No, actually. I was going to say 'I know' but what you said applies too."

Bartlett groaned as Blaze did a little satisfactory sigh.

"I'm sick of all this driving! Get me up in the air already!" Bartlett shouted as ground enemies showed up on radar. Blaze was naturally the first one there. It made me wonder if her plane was equipped with teleportation because she appeared seemingly out of nowhere all the time. It probably helped that it was still dark out but even when it wasn't dark out…

She wiped out two of the targets but not the important one. I aimed for it but the checkpoint was pretty solid and I only halfway damaged it. Nagase finished it off while Snow and Blaze finished off the last three targets. This seemed way too easy to me. Surely the Yukes had better defenses than this… or maybe we had just gotten really good? My guess was the former. I had my bets that the Yukes has something up their sleeves. They always did.

"I don't mind all these attractions, guys, but next time pay for your own tickets!" Bartlett snapped gruffly.

"I hear that voice again…" Nagase murmured, "All that useless chatter. I missed that voice."

"Me, too," Blaze agreed. They were really the only ones that could say that since neither Snow nor I had flown with Bartlett as a wingman.

"These guys are incredible. It's as if the Razgriz are flying up there!" a resistance member declared. I heard Blaze snort.

"Does he not see the emblem on our tails?" Blaze asked amusedly.

"With how fast you're flying, it's damn near impossible to find you let alone see the emblem on your tail," Bartlett pointed out.

"I didn't think I was going that fast," Blaze admitted.

"You're going past Mach 1. You're going wickedly fast Blaze," Nagase told her.

"There are planes with jet back coloring flying up there," A Yuke said as I flew through some gunfire. How my plane wasn't hit I'm not sure but I looked up to see it coming from a helicopter. I didn't even bother going to get it because Blaze was already there.

"We're almost at the next fork in the road," Mystery Woman Number One informed. "We either take our chances with the shortcut, or take the long way with less risk."

"Hey Kid, which route looks better to you? Should I take the longer one?"

"Nah, take the shortcut sir. The quicker we get you out of here, the better," Blaze answered.

"Okay, let me find one," Bartlett said. Barely a few seconds passed before, "All right, a shortcut! I'll twist through here!"

I watched as Bartlett and his entourage drove right between enemy tanks and howitzers. Blaze and I took care of those quickly while Snow and Nagase took care of a couple enemy planes lingering about.

"They ran right through!" I exclaimed.

"Gotta love Bartlett," Nagase said with a chuckle.

"The Prime Minister's life will be in danger if this keeps up!" A resistance member babbled out of anxiety.

"Just get him out of here safely and quickly, and everything will be fine," Another member consoled.

More ground targets appeared. I happened to be right over them so I went upside down and dived straight for the ground, shooting missiles at the targets; I destroyed two. I pulled up with enough time to level out without crashing into the ground. No way was I dying today or any mission.

Blaze, Nagase, and Snow finished off the targets.

"I assume you fly your plane the same way you drive?" Mystery Woman Number One teased. "But no loop-the-loops, please!"

Bartlett chuckled slyly.

"There are layers of enemy firing positions spread around the area," Snow said.

"Clean 'em and fry 'em," Blaze ordered.

"_Top Gun_, really Blaze? Still with the _Top Gun_?" Bartlett groaned.

"It's a good movie, sir. Besides, I remember you liked it. Might I add because of a certain woman whose callsign was Charlie."

"All men were in love with her. Besides, it was years ago."

"Excuses, excuses," Blaze said with a sigh.

"No one gets past here. Got it?" A Yuke growled.

"We're going through a checkpoint! Keep your heads down!" Bartlett ordered.

"Enemy fighter overhead!" A resistance member announced. I had already seen it and was high-tailing it there to shoot it down. The plane was an AC-130, a ground-attack aircraft that is a variant of the C-130 Hercules, which is a transport plane. It took about three missiles to shoot the sucker down.

"Every time we go on a date, you bring along these great adversaries," Mystery Woman Number One said.

"Stop that. You're making everyone jealous," Bartlett bantered.

"Bartlett, when this war is over, you're taking her on a real date," Blaze said with a 'don't-argue-with-me' tone. "And giving her a real proposal… with a big ring."

"I like her," Mystery Woman Number One admitted. "She has style."

"She learned it from the best," Bartlett replied. I had the strange image of him giving Mystery Woman Number One a wink.

"There's a helicopter, too. They're coming!" A resistance member yelled. "We can't fight them off with these weapons."

"Not on my watch," Nagase mumbled.

"Don't let the enemy shoot. Keep firing!" A resistance member ordered.

"There's an idea," Blaze said.

"That's quite a strategy, busting right through the middle! I might not know him well but I do know I can say this: That's Bartlett for you!" Snow declared cheerfully.

"Airfield operations will begin in five minutes," Mystery Woman Number One warned. I really needed to find out her name because calling her 'Mystery Woman Number One' was getting old. However, since we had more important things on hand, I would ask her when we got back to the Kestrel.

Blaze was far ahead of us, going out to 'greet' enemy helicopters. Hope you get the gist of what I really mean because I know some really naïve people, and that's a completely different subject so before I go on a rampage about all the naïve people I've met, I'm going to stop here.

"Is Baranov behind us? I hope he doesn't make a mistake like last month," Bartlett said.

"I heard that," Baranov replied sounding mildly offended. "I'll be all right."

"Snow, get a missile lock on the AC-130 from behind while I fire at it from below. They will have their sights focused on you and won't see me coming," Blaze ordered.

"Roger that," Snow answered, turning his plane to meet up with her.

"Not bad at all. Creating diversions is the first step in espionage," Mystery Woman Number One approved.

"Just having them up in the air is diversion enough," Bartlett acknowledged. "You should hear some of the radio chatter I've heard. You guys scare the hell out of them."

"Well, apparently we are demons and I'm pretty sure demons don't come from heaven so it's only natural we scare the hell and not the heaven out of them," Blaze countered at the same time another hit of ground enemies appeared on my radar. Thankfully, Bartlett, along with his group, wasn't near them yet so I fired two special weapons. It destroyed all of the targets in one swoop.

"Nice aim, Grimm," Blaze praised.

"Tracer rounds are nothing more than pretty fireworks if they don't hit," Bartlett noted, seeming to be talking to himself.

"I could use a good fireworks show that didn't involve exploding planes, tracer rounds, and bullets," Blaze said thoughtfully.

"It would be nice. New Years is just around the corner. We'll watch them then," I said.

"Sounds like a plan."

I flew up to meet an AC-130. It took three missiles to bring it down. I checked my missiles reserves. I had a fair amount left but I knew I would have to use my guns to save some of them.

"We're being attacked from the air, too!" A Yuke shouted in fury.

"No, really? We've been flying up here for a while you know and I know our planes are black but I don't think any of our ground forces have the ammo to bring down an AC-130 or blow up a howitzer a thousand feet away," Blaze rambled.

"Nice speech," Nagase commented.

"Thank you."

"Baranov! Get as close to me as you can!" Bartlett commanded impatiently.

"I'll try!"

"Airfield operations will begin in four minutes," Mystery Woman Number One cautioned, her tone sounding more anxious.

"This road has a lot of tollbooths, but we're gonna bust through all of 'em!" Bartlett declared. I didn't doubt him.

"We still have enough time. Let's take the long way to be safe," Mystery Woman Number One suggested.

"No, we can keep you covered. I want y'all out of here as quickly as possible," Blaze argued. Her tone told everyone there would be no arguing with her. I vaguely wondered if Bartlett was surprised by Blaze's attitude now. Compared to when she was just a wingman, she was somewhat shy in what she said, at least to people who had a higher status than her. But now, she acted as if they were her equals. Nagase, Snow, and I were hesitant to argue with Bartlett and Mystery Woman Number One, but not Blaze.

"Don't turn sharply like that! We're gonna fall out!" A resistance member snapped.

"We're almost at the next fork in the road," Mystery Woman Number One informed. How many times had she said that? It was getting kind of annoying. "We either take our chances with the shortcut or-"

"Take the long way with less risk," Blaze finished, sounding exhausted.

"Correct," Mystery Woman Number One said.

"Kid, you watchin' this? Will we be okay with the shortcut?" Bartlett inquired. For some reason, I found it semi-amusing that Bartlett, an experienced war veteran that had so much more experience than Blaze, was asking her what to do. It seemed it should be the other way around, but our whole lives had been turned upside down so it was taking a lot to surprise me nowadays. You could tell me pigs were starting to fly and I might actually consider it to be fairly plausible.

"You heard me earlier; we can cover you. Take the shortcut," Blaze replied.

"Okay, I'll bust through the shortcut. Kid, you take care of providing top cover!"

"Please don't start that, Bartlett," Blaze moaned.

"Start what?"

"Stating the obvious."

Even Bartlett seemed lost for a comeback. Only Blaze…

Watch out for small-arms attacks," A Yuke helicopter warned. I watched as Snow and Nagase went to shoot down some helicopters in the distance. Blaze and I stayed above Captain Bartlett, making sure we were there if we were needed immediately.

I could now see the airport. It was a sprawling area enclosed within a fence, probably electric. There were three runways that I could see, possibly a fourth. Hangars were scattered all over, and I'm pretty sure I saw some Yuke soldiers running all over the place.

"Okay, it's time. Begin operation! Seize the hangar!" Bartlett barked.

"Hurry! Get to the hangar while they're still holding up!" Mystery Woman Number One urged.

"This will work," A resistance detachment member said a little breathlessly. "We got ourselves a plane."

"Have the Oseans penetrated this far in?" A Yuke copter demanded. I could just hear how pissed he was.

"All right, we're starting up. Pull us out," A resistance detachment member said.

"Grimm, Snow, we need your special weapons. We have a group of ground targets at the entrance to the airport," Blaze announced.

"Roger," Snow and I replied simultaneously. Snow was closer than I was, but I was already speeding over there so when we reached the targets, we each fired two special weapons; most of the targets were easily blown away.

"I'll play spectator here on the ground and watch you all fight," Bartlett said. I imagined him looking up. Just in case he was, I did an extremely unnecessary maneuver, doing a three-sixty spin and firing a special weapons missile at the remaining targets. Snow did likewise save for the three-sixty.

"Captain! You're taking too many risks!" Nagase exclaimed.

"Hey, Nagase, you're starting to sound like my mom," Bartlett replied jokingly.

"Harsh," Snow said with a laugh. I could just see how furiously Nagase was blushing.

I found Bartlett's car as he drove at a maniacal speed towards a hangar.

"He keeps doing this, and I'm gonna get an ulcer just watching them!" I admitted.

"And flying through natural tunnels while getting chased by BAF Aces doesn't? That's incredible," Blaze joked.

"Planes don't bother me but fast driving? Count me out," I said.

"Okay, full throttle! We're breaking through at top speed!" Bartlett hollered.

"It's almost dawn, but those guys are keeping the sky dark" A Yuke mumbled.

"Here they come. Do you see them?" A Yuke questioned.

"Thanks for the navigation Kid. That was a fun drive for all of us," Bartlett told Blaze with a droll hint to his voice but being completely serious at the same time. I couldn't help but smile. Only Bartlett would be serious about saying he had fun driving through enemy territory. From what I had heard from Genette, getting to allied front lines wasn't a first for Bartlett.

"This one, Mr. B. Use this plane!" A resistance detachment member insisted.

"Hey, I'll take any plane you got. Anything's better than a car," Bartlett claimed.

Curiously (and hesitantly might I add), I queried, "Hasn't it been a while since Captain Bartlett flew a plane?"

"This platoon doesn't know when to shut up. Go on, return their fire!" Bartlett snapped.

"I do hope you're not talking about my squadron," Blaze grumbled.

"No, I'm talking about my group. They keep squawking like a bunch of parrots."

"I don't think they'd like that analogy."

"I wouldn't have had to use it if they would be quiet and return fire."

"They stole a plane from the hangar! Right out from under our nose!" A Yuke nearly screamed for infuriation.

"Bartlett, hightail it out of there. The Yukes had figured out y'all are getting planes," Blaze warned.

"What is this? I haven't seen a plane like this in ages," Bartlett observed.

"It's a little dusty in here," Mystery Woman Number One said with a certain amount of distaste.

"Get the safety belt tight on the Prime Minister," Bartlett directed.

"C-1 moving towards the runway," A Yuke announced. That must be the plane Bartlett had stolen.

"I want to get airborne before the runway is blocked," Bartlett said.

"Don't worry. Anyone who is stupid enough to block will be sorry," Blaze told him.

"You have turned ruthless, Blaze," Bartlett said. I couldn't be sure, but I thought I detected the slightest twinge of sadness in his voice.

"I'm not ruthless. I just do anything I can for the people that are special to me… I'm flying above you Captain. See you up in a few seconds."

"All right, I'm taking off. Hellooo, sky!" Bartlett hollered. "I'm comin' home!"

"Edge to Heartbreak One. We'll fly past our allies' front line and head for the ocean. The Kestrel will meet us on the way."

"Roger that. Just hope we don't run into any bad guys," Bartlett replied.

He spoke too soon…

At that instant, I received a hit of four enemy planes on my radar. My blood boiled but I knew once Blaze found out who it was, my anger would be nothing compared to hers.

Grimly, I informed, "Incoming aircraft. Looks like bad guys to me. It's the 8492nd."

I was right about Blaze. Although she didn't scream like a banshee, she made a growling sound that chilled my bones. In fact, she was already racing off to face them… and she was completely alone.

"Ah, the long-lost Belkan Grabacr Fighter Squadron, eh?" Bartlett said.

I thought Blaze's reaction was bone-chilling enough, but apparently, it wasn't, because right then, the 8492nd spoke. "Is that really them?"

"I saw those planes plunge into the ocean along with the Colonel on my radar."

"It's them," another member growled. My guess was the leader. He just had that superiority in his voice, "the 'Ghosts of Razgriz.'"

"They were the ones that attacked the mine, too," an 8492nd member added.

"All right," The one I guessed was the captain said. "Let's find out for ourselves in battle."

When they came into my view, the captain was flying straight ahead while the wingmen were sideways. I never understood that. Maybe it was to intimidate the enemy. If that was the case, it wasn't working. Blaze in particular had a burning desire for justice that was driving her forward. Those guys stood no chance against her when she was like this. If they hadn't been the reason Chopper was dead, I would've felt sorry for them.

"Kid! Get the Grabacr! Don't let a single one escape!" Bartlett told her.

"My pleasure," Blaze said menacingly. She had been itching to shoot those bastards down for a while. I remembered when she did the reconnaissance mission all by herself and how she hadn't been armed because Pops was positive that enemy reinforcements would come up after her. I knew he didn't doubt her abilities but he didn't want to risk her getting shot down. I was glad when he had said she would be unarmed, because Blaze being Blaze would've shot every plane down. However, at the same time, it was horrible to know that she had a chance to shoot down Grabacr but was unable too. I know she would've won that battle.

"The 8492nd is here. This will be the final showdown!" Nagase declared heatedly.

"No; if we shoot them down, they'll only bail out. Believe me, shooting them down will just piss them off and slow them down…" Blaze mumbled.

"Blaze-" Snow began.

"Enemy fighter on your tail; I'm on it," Blaze said, cutting him off. Whatever Snow had been about to say, he had decided otherwise. I think he could tell Blaze didn't want to be patronized.

"How can they attack from that position?" Nagase inquired with an annoyed interest. Blaze had shot down one of the Grabacr, the one that had been tailing Snow.

"Impressive. These fighters are definitely the Razgriz," the Grabacr leader said.

"Go to hell," Blaze snarled. I wondered if Bartlett knew Blaze's determined intentions to shoot down the Grabacr was more than order, that it had now become personal.

"Don't make the same mistake as Ofnir," another Grabacr member warned.

"Are you okay, Captain Bartlett?" Nagase questioned.

"Don't worry about me. You just concentrate on dealing with the Grabacr. I can slip past these guys all day. I can't fire back, but I got you for that now, Kid. They're all yours."

"With her obvious determination, they're not gonna be here for long," Mystery Woman Number One said, pleased.

Snow cautioned, "Don't let your guard down! These guys are tough!"

"Hey, why are there only two on radar? I know Blaze shot down one but what happened to the second one?" Nagase asked.

"I shot it down," Blaze said nonchalantly. She acted as if she fought them every day and won.

"You were just lucky. We'll decide who's better another time," a Grabacr sneered.

"We'll be ready. You can count on that," Blaze replied, sounding calm, cool, collected, and completely terrifying, all at the same time.

"I won't be shot down. No one's going to take my place as Blaze's wingman," Nagase stated.

"Wingwoman," I corrected. "You are a wingwoman."

"Shut up Grimm," Nagase chastised, but I knew she just said that because she didn't have a better comeback.

Frustrated, Nagase said, "The enemy's everywhere!"

"I see they're still just as annoying as they were when I fought them. Some things just never change," Bartlett observed as Snow managed to shoot an enemy down with Blaze. They had each fired a missile.

"We'll just wait for the next opportunity to meet again," the Grabacr pilot assured.

"See you then, putz," Blaze answered casually.

"Putz?" I repeated.

"_Out to Sea_," Blaze explained. "It's a really good movie."

"You and your movie quotes," I said, chuckling. I was trailing the last enemy plane. Blaze joined me and her movements were so graceful and unpredictable that it was almost beautiful to watch. I couldn't help but compare her to the Grabacr. Their flying style was similar: calm, graceful, fast, unpredictable, and deadly.

"Look at the way Captain moves…" I said. "So that's how an ace pilot flies."

"Blaze just keeps surprising me. She's getting better every second," Snow admitted.

"I'm no ace," Blaze said with a harrumph.

That made me, Nagase, and Snow snort. And, to my surprise, there was another snort… from Bartlett.

"You always were too modest, Kid," Bartlett said.

"I am not!" Blaze protested.

"Name a time when you bragged about _something_," Bartlett challenged.

"I can't think of one right now. I'm too busy trying to shoot down Ofnir," Blaze wrangled. Bartlett merely laughed because he knew she didn't have an answer; we all knew.

Apparently, Blaze had been focused enough on the Ofnir plane we had all been trailing to shoot it down. I didn't think the shot was good but somehow, both her missiles hit.

And she said she wasn't an ace…

I snorted.

"Grimm? Why are you snorting? Please tell me you didn't hide drugs in your plane. That would put a new meaning to the quote 'high in the sky,'" Blaze told me.

Laughing, I said, "No, I'm just snorting at the thought of you saying you're not an ace. It's really funny how obstinate you are about that."

"I'm not going to argue. I'm not in the mood," Blaze muttered; I wasn't offended by her statement. Her soft chuckle at the end of it told me she wasn't angry.

**MISSION ACCOMPLISHED**

"They moved just like those enemies we fought before," Nagase noted.

"My guess is they trained together," Blaze said.

"Looks like you got 'em all, but the bastards all bailed out," Bartlett told us. "I gotta admit, those guys are true fighter pilots."

"We'll be back," the leader of the Grabacr snarled. "You can count on it."

"Hope you bring us a real challenge next time," Blaze countered. I heard a growl of fury before the Grabacr's line of communication was cut off.

"'Hope you bring us a real challenge next time?' Really Blaze?" Nagase demanded in exasperation.

"It's fun to infuriate them. Belkans make mistakes when they get pissed. It's almost always the reason for their demise… that and overconfidence," Blaze added.

"Aren't you part Belkan, Blaze?" Snow inquired.

"Yes."

"You say that anger is the reason that they make mistakes. So are you fighting them because you're angry too," I said.

"No. I fight them for Justice," Blaze corrected softly. "There's a difference between anger and justice."

"Then why do you always sound angry when you fight them?" I inquired.

"I'm not angry at them… okay, maybe I am but that's not why I _sound_ angry. I'm angry at someone else."

"Who?"

Blaze didn't reply.

On the way back to the Kestrel, we were debriefed. "The 8492nd Squadron… or the Belkan Grabacr Squadron to be more exact, has been annihilated. Yuktobanian Prime Minister Nikanor is also safe. Mission accomplished."

* * *

**December 23, 2010, Ceres Ocean, 1319 hrs…**

**Genette**

As I stood behind Bartlett, video camera in hand, I hit the record button. I hardly ever went anywhere without my camera now, afraid I'd miss something if I didn't have it on me.

Blaze was standing next to me, with Nagase, Snow, and Grimm down below with Pops taking care of the planes. Nikanor (when he had woken up), had requested to meet Blaze. My sister had blanched when she had been told this after she had landed. Pops offered to take care of her plane. It was funny to see my sister in such a frazzled state. Blaze hardly ever got like that.

Bartlett… He had returned once more. He brought Nikanor, the Prime Minister of Yuktobania with him. And surprisingly, he had brought one more person. A female Recon Major in the Yuke Army… the one who broke his heart fifteen years ago.

I zoomed in on Bartlett, panned over to Nikanor, who gave me a smile and a nod, and then I panned over Mysterious Woman Number One (I had listened to the radio chatter).

She had jet black hair in a pony tail; her hair was the color of the Razgriz planes. A bizarre thought occurred to me that it would be cool if she had red streaks in her hair, because then her hair would be the colors of the Razgriz. Hastily, I pushed the thought out of my mind.

Mysterious Woman Number One was just a tad shorter than Blaze, but not by much. She was lean and pale, but she was really pretty. Her aviators were extremely reflective, and I could see myself filming her in them.

I trained my camera back on Bartlett; he turned around to face my camera. He had a pleased, mischievous smile on his face. He gave me a two-fingered salute. I grinned at him.

It became clear why nobody could find him in the POW camps. The very first POW of the war, he had escaped before they could even get him into the camp. That's Bartlett for you…

Yuktobania's situation was just like ours. Their leader, who espoused reconciliation was imprisoned after a silent coup d'état, and the country proceeded to march right into large-scale war.

I backed up as I took a picture of Andersen shaking hands with Nikanor. Bartlett was behind Andersen and the Yuke woman behind Nikanor.

When Blaze and I walked up to the foursome, I stopped the recording.

"You are the Captain of the Razgriz?" Nikanor asked Blaze.

"Yes, sir," Blaze replied calmly. "It's an honor to meet you, sir."

"It is an honor to meet you, Miss…?"

"Elizabeth Banks, but please, call me Blaze."

"It is an honor to meet you Miss Blaze. I have heard many things about you."

"I hope they were good things," Blaze said with a sheepish smile.

"I heard about your great prowess in battle. I must say, for the few conscious moments I had on the way to the plane, and the few glimpses of what I believe was your plane, I must agree with my soldiers. You are a demon… one that fights for good, though. You certainly are a Demon of Razgriz."

"Thank you, sir." Nikanor held out his hand and Blaze shook it. I took a picture, naturally, because it wasn't everyday that your sister shook the hand of the leader of Yuktobania.

After taking the picture, I turned to face the Yuke woman.

Curiously, I asked, "What should I call you?"

"Just 'Major,'" She replied, taking off her aviators and doing a small hair flip to get some hair out of her face.

"What's your real name?" I prodded.

All she did was return a smile as I took her picture. Now that I could clearly see her eyes, I noticed they were a chocolate brown, full of slyness. I'm sure that's part of the reason Bartlett was attracted to her.

Major remained faithful to the Prime Minister and to his vision of peace. And that faith had brought her here.

She was carrying a single disc. She told us the disc contained the secret plans of the Belkan "Gray Men."

Instantly, we had Geller start helping us with the cracking of it. So far we have been unable to decipher the encryption code. Even Geller was having issues, and he was the one that had ultimately created it.

* * *

**Blaze**

After politely excusing myself from the conversation between Bartlett, Major, Nikanor, and Genette, I headed off to my room, not in the mood to talk to anyone. Cassie, Grimm, Pops, and Snow were talking to Nikanor and Bartlett and Major. Geller was busy trying to decipher the disc. I was glad everyone was preoccupied. That feeling was short-lived when Bartlett called out my name.

I turned around, masking my moodiness.

"Hello, Captain Bartlett," I greeted cheerfully.

"Don't try and fool me Blaze. What's going on in that head of yours?" Bartlett demanded.

Furrowing my eyebrows, I asked, "What do you mean?"

"Chopper's death hit you hard, I can tell. Is there something I'm missing that happened between you two?"

I held up my left hand to show him the engagement ring. I felt my face fall emotionless as Bartlett did a slight, sharp intake of breath.

"It's not your fault Blaze," Bartlett said seriously.

"Yes, it is. All of it is my entire fault."

"Yes, because you could control Hamilton backstabbing you and having the whole Sand Island Base turn their backs on you. That's out of your control Blaze," Bartlett chided. I knew he was serious because he wasn't using his nickname for me.

"I failed my squadron," I said.

"They certainly don't think that. Why do _you_ think that?"

"It's getting the crew back alive that counts," I repeated Bartlett's motto quietly. He blanched slightly, which unnerved me. I didn't know Bartlett could be shocked by anything, let alone by something I said. What was _happening_ to me?

"Throwing my teachings right back in my face," Bartlett said with a humorless chuckle.

"It's been my motto ever since I was a captain."

"When you said you're anger isn't because of the Grabacr, but someone else, you meant you, didn't you?" Bartlett inquired, but it was more of a statement.

"I could've stopped it. I know I could've."

"You can't predict the future Blaze," Bartlett told me. Something must've flickered across my face because he asked, "Or can you?"

Hesitantly, I replied, "I had dreams of him crashing into a stadium over and over again. It never occurred to me that it was a vision. I just thought it was a fear of mine, which him crashing was one. And then when we were flying of the stadium, it hit me that _that_ stadium was the one in my dreams. So you're saying I couldn't have known he was going to die, but I did."

"But you _didn't know it, Blaze_," Bartlett said, pronouncing the last four words carefully. I didn't know what to say. I pushed down the lump in my throat. I wasn't going to cry, not in front of Bartlett… not _anyone_.

"Get some sleep. You've had a hectic day," Bartlett said.

"Bye, Captain," I said as I turned around and headed to my room.

**Bartlett**

I watched Blaze head towards her room. She had changed so much it was frightening. The last time I had talked to her, she was outgoing and cheerful and spoke her mind. This Blaze was quiet and reticent and _serious_… although she still spoke her mind. No matter how much she joked with her comrades, I could always tell her heart wasn't in the joke.

I hated seeing someone so young with such a bright future ahead of her so… mature. She wasn't even twenty-five and she had the mind of an experience war veteran. She had experienced more tragedy and heartbreak and deceit in the last few weeks than most people did in a lifetime. She reminded me of me when I was her age… and that wasn't a good thing.

* * *

**0900 hours…**

**Genette**

I walked up to the launch deck, not anticipating anyone to be up there. To my surprise, two people were up there, gazing at the stars: Major and Blaze.

I think it was Blaze who surprised me the most. She had left the conversation with Nikanor and everyone else pretty quickly. I was worried about her. I was always worried about her now.

They were both silent as I walked up to them. Blaze looked at me and gave me a smile. When she returned her attention to the stars, she looked really young. I couldn't help but give a smile. Major didn't look my way, but merely pointed to a star in the sky and said, "The SOLG. A military attack satellite that your country began building in the war fifteen years ago, then abandoned in the peace that followed. The Arkbird was reborn partly to resurrect that dreadful star. Now ever after the Arkbird was destroyed, the Space Center's mass driver is still launching supplies into orbit. What is that 'star' receiving from them?"

Then we fell silent as we watched the 'star' in the sky. If you focused on it enough, you could just barely see it moving.

* * *

**Oh dang, long chapter. Well, I hope y'all enjoyed! Review if you're glad Bartlett's back! I know I'm glad the firebrand is back :P REVIEW!**


	30. Battleship Uprising

**Wow, so FanFiction decided to add Blaze and Chopper in the character list. Finally! I mean, they're kind of important people, no? Anyways, so besides FanFiction getting smart, I would like to thank ben revell, RandomNumbers523156, Shadow1121, and Noctic Eternus for reviewing! I'm at a total of 81 reviews so let's see if I can break the 100 reviews barrier :) that's the challenge. So I'm going to need 19 reviews in the next three chapters. Who takes the challenge?**

**Quote of the Chapter:  
**"**I have one speed, one gear: go!"  
****~Charlie Sheen**

* * *

Battleship Uprising

**Genette**

**December 25, 2010…**

Three days later, and we had barely made any headway on the deciphering of the Gray Men's CD. Geller was working at a breakneck pace but there were so many codes to break that it was taking him forever. He was getting annoyed, but unless you knew that him tapping his fingers was his way of showing annoyance, you would just assume he was thinking. I had to give it to him; he was brilliant when it came to code breaking. I thought I was good… Man, he made me look like I went at a snail's pace compared to when he did it. In car terms, he was a Lamborghini fully loaded while I was a Smart Car stripped to only the bare necessities. Yeah, it was that bad. Geller didn't stop working on it though. He would work well throughout the night and would usually be found snoring away by either Blaze or Andersen or Pops. Blaze kept a steady stream of coffee coming and that helped but even that much caffeine couldn't keep him up. Finally, Pops ordered Geller to get some decent sleep and I took his place. I was proud to say I was able to break two codes when Geller came back eight hours later. He looked well rested and so I handed over the job to him. He cracked a code in less than five minutes.

Show off…

I remember the last time I had been watching him breaking a new set of codes and he kept moving his legs and feet. I couldn't help but notice with amusement that he was much like my sister in that sense. She could never keep still at a desk. She could barely keep still in her sleep. I couldn't count how many times she had nailed me in the shin and a really sensitive area when we had had to share beds when we went on vacation. I would have about twenty bruises on my legs and my parents would ask where I got them and I would just look at Blaze who had no idea she had done that to me. Let me tell you, if my sister and I ever have to share a bed again (which I don't think we will), I'm wearing shin guards.

Speaking of Blaze, she had seemed to be in a better mood; I think it was because of Bartlett. I think it was nice for Blaze to have someone that she could rely on and tell _her _what to do because you have to admit, lately, she was the one everyone went to. Sure, Pops told her what to do but Bartlett was just like Blaze in the way he acted; he didn't like to show what he was feeling, he loved to piss of enemies, and he was a fantastic flyer. I think Blaze could relate more to Bartlett than she could to Pops; don't get me wrong though, Blaze loved Pops. He was like a father to her.

Bartlett had been all over the place. Mainly though, he would talk to Andersen, Pops, Nikanor, or Major. Somehow, I convinced Major to tell me her real name. It was Nastasya; she said she didn't tell many people her real name because they never could pronounce it correctly. I didn't get that because it's not the hardest name in the world.

Nikanor wiled away the time talking to everyone on the ship, and I mean _everyone_. He particularly liked talking to Blaze and Grimm; I think he liked Blaze because she was a female captain and that was practically unheard of in Yuktobania. I think he liked Grimm because he was really talkative and had some really interesting stories. I also heard Grimm explain how fantastic Blaze was at flying and that she would never admit it because she was so modest. Blaze hadn't been around when he'd said that but I knew she would've been blushing up a storm if she had been.

We had been in the open ocean for a few days, about three I think. I had lost track, probably because I had seen just straight ocean for days. I don't think we had even passed an island. I don't know how the men on this ship were able to stay on here for months at a time. I'd go nuts.

Anyways, Nagase, Grimm, Snow, Cassie, and I played card games with a deck of cards Nagase had found in her room. Blaze would join us when she could but she was focused on keeping Geller focused and getting sleep. She was sleeping a lot lately, strange considering a few weeks ago she could barely get any sleep at all. We avoided playing card games that required money because, well, we had none on us. So we stuck with kid games such as Go Fish and Crazy Eights. Who knew kid games could get so violent? One game of Crazy Eights ended up with Cassie and Grimm wrestling each other for a card. Snow, Nagase, Blaze and I had started laughing. Then in a game of Go Fish, Blaze and I hit each other repeatedly for some reason I can't remember. Needless to say, I had a lot of bruises on my arm. Blaze, on the other hand, her skin seemed to be made of iron and there was no hint of a bruise anywhere.

It was about three in the afternoon and I was walking up to the bridge when I passed Bartlett who was going down the stairs. I acknowledged him with a smile and "Captain." He returned it. As I got onto the landing, Bartlett shouted my name and motioned for me to come over to him.

"Yes, sir?" I asked.

"What's up with Blaze?" He demanded.

"Honestly, I have no idea."

"When did she become so… so…"

"Aloof?" I suggested. Bartlett nodded. "I don't know; I think it was about the time Wardog attacked the munitions factory in Sonza so about a month and a half ago. Has she told you anything? About what might be bothering her?" I knew it was far-fetched but I had to have some hope that _someone_ knew what was going on inside my sister's head.

As I suspected, Bartlett shook his head. "Not much. She just said she's upset over Chopper and I can't blame her. I think she also believes she has to save the whole world."

"She's always been like that," I commented.

"How much has she told you?"

"Not much; really the only insight I got on what was going on was when she lost it when we were interrogating Geller."

"What did she say?"

"I don't really remember, but we were lucky enough to have the conversation recording; it's upstairs in the viewing room if you want to listen to it."

Bartlett said he did so that's where we went. I pulled out the tape and put it in the recorder. I fast-forwarded the tape until I came to a good stopping point.

"Can you understand Belkan?" I inquired, looking at Bartlett. He nodded and I hit the play button.

"_And what do you know about Belka?" Geller growled._

"_More than you think I do," Blaze retorted._

"_Oh really?" Geller laughed. "How is it I don't believe you?"_

_In Belkan, Blaze said,_ _"I know about your culture because I'm half Belkan and my parents have taught me and my brother our heritage quite well. I understand the pride that all Belkans possess; I admit that I possess it and it has altered my judgment, causing me the life of a beloved friend, who happened to be my fiancé... I'm well aware that you were in the Belkan war fifteen years ago, and I know you saw the terror that the seven nukes incorporated into the lives of everyone. So, if you are serious about what you said about wanting to stop those nukes, you will set aside your pride and tell us what the Belkans are planning. We just want peace."_

"_Don't give me your petty lies about how your countries really want peace. Not after you took half our land and Yuktobania plundered the rest. All the rest of us just wanted peace. All you really want is more oil and more bullets to fuel your Cold War with us. I can't wait for the day when I see Osea and Yuktobania get what they deserve," Geller spat._

_Once more in Belkan, Blaze said in a quiet, deadly voice, "I am not one to be trifled with. I have experienced more tragedy and betrayal and bloodshed in my three months of being a captain than you can imagine. I am sick and tired of this war; I want to put an end to it. I don't want to _kill_ any more people. I've had to turn against my own country because your country saw that it was necessary to pit Osea and Yuktobania against each other so that when both sides are exhausted from fighting, you can take over."_

_She excused herself from the room._

I stopped the tape and looked at Bartlett who looked deeply concerned.

"So?" I prodded.

"It's worse than I thought. She has mastered the art of giving just enough information to where people get an idea but don't delve any deeper. I've seen it before and those people, when they crack, it's not good. You know when they're going to crack too."

"What if Blaze doesn't crack?"

"Everyone cracks. Some just can take more than others. Your sister seems to have an unusually high tolerance. The higher the tolerance, the harder the fall."

"But what if she never cracks, though?" I urged.

Bartlett rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "My guess is she'll stay like she is now, where she's here but she's not really. Blaze will just kind of float through life. Honestly, I think it's a better alternative than if she does crack. With how much she's bearing on her shoulders right now, her fall will be catastrophic. She'll become reclusive, she'll probably stop eating, stop sleeping, stop talking… she'll be a walking zombie."

"She's already hit a walking zombie phase," I muttered. When Bartlett gave me a look that said 'tell me,' I said, "Just before Wardog attacked the Hrimfaxi, Blaze had stopped sleeping. None of us knew what was going on. We still have never figured it out."

"We need Blaze to open up; if she doesn't… it's not going to end well," Bartlett admonished grimly. He seemed upset about the fact that Blaze could crash and burn. I nodded and we said good day.

I knew one thing: I was going to get Blaze to open up. I wanted my sister back.

* * *

**December 29, 2010, 1715 HRS…**

**Nagase**

Blaze, Grimm, Snow, Genette, Cassie, and I were up on the bridge with Nikanor, Pops, and Andersen. However, we were in our own conversation. While Nikanor, Pops, and Andersen's conversation consisted of politics and war history, ours was an argument about who would win in a battle against each other: Chuck Norris or Jackie Chan. Blaze, Genette, and Grimm were for Chuck Norris while Cassie, Snow, and I were for Jackie Chan.

Us and our nutty conversations…

I was in the middle of explaining that Jackie Chan had awesome ninja skills when Blaze stood up; her brow furrowed as she said, "What is that?"

We looked out on the horizon. I could just barely make out shapes on the horizon, but they were so far they looked like dots. Andersen, Pops, and Nikanor had realized we were looking at something and went to the radar. The six of us got in a line and continued to look out.

"What is it?" Blaze inquired, looking at the radar with Andersen.

"A naval fleet… A Yuke one if I'm correct," Andersen replied.

"Should we get the catapults ready?" A crew member asked.

"Let me talk to them," Nikanor protested. "Let me try and convince them to lay down their arms and join us."

"Yes, Prime Minister, however, if the scenario rises up where they do attack us, we need to be prepared. Will you at least allow our ship to get ready to fight?" Andersen inquired. However, I got the feeling Andersen was going to do so with or without Nikanor's permission.

Nikanor agreed and over the loudspeaker, Andersen ordered, "All hands, proceed to battle stations. Yuktobanian fleet ahead."

Now the fleet could be seen more clearly. There were a fair amount of ships that I could see. A crew member said, "The enemy fleet contains eighteen ships, arranged in a battle formation designed to block our fleet's path."

Nikanor took the mic from Andersen and said, "Attention, Yuktobanian fleet. This is Prime Minister Nikanor, representative of your government. I am on the…" he turned to Andersen and asked quietly, "Kestrel?"

"Yes. Kestrel," Andersen replied kindly.

Resuming in his clipped accent, Nikanor said, "I am on the Osean carrier Kestrel, for the sake of restoring peace between our Yuktobania and the country of Osea. We will once again…"

He was cut off by a Yuke commenting on his loudspeaker. He had a gruff and slimy voice. "Attention, all vessels. The only thing that exists between Yuktobania and Osea is hatred. Prime Minister Nikanor has joined the enemy. Recognize him as such, and sink the enemy fleet with him."

At that moment, Geller came bursting into the room and came to stand behind Blaze. Of the group, although we all got along with him, he liked Blaze the most (even though I'm pretty sure she did tell him off when we were interrogating him that time after Blaze went on that solo mission in Belka).

Another Yuke came on, but unlike his leader, he seemed more level-headed and more willing to listen to us. "But Commander, that's the Prime Minister talking. Please, stand down, we don't know what we're fighting for anymore. Sir, please, cancel engagement and stand down."

I saw a ship turning in front of the Yuke fleet, both in real life and on the radar. I couldn't blame him for not wanting to fight because he didn't know what he was fighting for; I remember thinking that not too long ago. However, I had found my cause, and I wasn't going to stop fighting until I had succeeded. With Blaze as my captain, I knew that was going to happen.

The gruff voice came back on. "All vessels loyal to the fleet, a traitor is blocking our way. Attack the frigate ship Pitomnik. Open fire."

We watched in horror as two Yuke ships fired at the frigate, dealing lethal blows. Blaze covered her mouth and nose with both hands. Her eyes were wide and sparkling; Geller put a firm hand on her shoulder.

I grabbed Genette's hand and covered my mouth with my other hand.

"This is missile destroyer Gumrak of the glorious Yuktobanian Navy," A Yuke announced. His voice was gruff and I could just tell he was an experienced soldier. "We cannot follow a Fleet Commander willing to sink one of his own ships. We will protect Prime Minister Nikanor. All ships who are with us, change course and follow us."

I saw two ships, possibly three, speeding up and coming towards us. Were they really joining the Kestrel?

The Fleet Commander came back on. "Any vessel that does not follow the flagship will be fired upon."

"Protect those brave defectors," Andersen commanded over the loudspeaker. "Launch fighters!" Turning to Nikanor, he said, "Prime Minister. Please take your leave."

"But…" Nikanor started to protest.

Andersen cut him off. "Go to our President, and get a televised picture of the two of you together, shaking hands. Show it to the world."

Nikanor reluctantly agreed and being escorted by Bartlett and Major who had just now come up, went to Sea Goblin's helicopter where he would travel to Oured with Bartlett and Major.

On the way out, Bartlett turned to us, but looked at Blaze specifically. "I wish you the best of luck in battle. Remember, watch each other up there and be there for each other, whether you're having physical problems or mental."

"Are you calling us mental?" Blaze demanded with a grin.

"Possibly," Bartlett retorted. Blaze bit her lip before running up to Bartlett and hugging him. In that moment, I saw the old Blaze, the one that was full of life and knew she hadn't seen everything. It was refreshing and it gave me hope that she might just pull out of this… slump she was in.

Bartlett, although stunned by the sudden gesture and affection, returned it. "Now," he ordered. "Go kick some ass."

"Yes, sir," Blaze said, a small smile on her face. And then she was back. The new Blaze replaced the old one and before she could even tell us to go down to the briefing room, we were already heading down there.

When we got down to the briefing room, the lights were dim and the screen was already up and waiting for us. The four of us didn't even leave the doorway when the briefing began.

"The situation is critical. We must help provide stability as quickly as possible. The Kestrel CIC's IFF info will be directly connected to your HUD, so you'll be able to get an ID on your targets. Engage and render powerless all forces carrying out acts of aggression against the Kestrel and our new allied fleet."

Operation: Glory Horn

Location: Ceres Ocean

Date: 2010/12/29

Time: 1731 HRS

The four of us left the briefing room the instant the briefing was over. Blaze, naturally, already had our planes picked out. We would be taking the F-35C's. They were good for anti-ship missions and were decent in air battles as well.

It barely took ten minutes for all of us to launch into the air. When Blaze was being catapulted, Sea Goblin took off in the helicopter and I could've sworn I saw Bartlett looking out at us.

Blaze took up the lead position as I got on her left, Snow got on her right, and Grimm flew to the right of Snow. She hit her afterburners and we were quick to follow.

"A group of comrades has come to our aide," Andersen announced. "Protect those brave souls!"

When the targets appeared on our radar, a song started to play; it was coming from the Kestrel and it took me a moment to recognize the song as _The Journey Home_. I found it somewhat peculiar that Andersen was playing an anti-war song during the battle, but I also understood why. It was an indirect way of him saying "We don't want to fight. We want peace."

"Is anyone else remembering the flyby when Chopper was singing along to this?" Grimm asked quietly, giving a small chuckle.

"And how off-key he was?" Blaze added with a laugh. It was good to hear her talk about Chopper and not seem down about it.

"And when Grimm said it wasn't exactly rock n' roll, Chopper snapped at him saying he didn't care and that it had soul?" I reminisced.

"Chopper was certainly a character… I remember when we were flying in the same airspace and he was talking incessantly and I was in a bad mood that day and I snapped at him pretty badly… he laughed and kept going," Snow said, starting to laugh. "I thought he had guts and could just tell he was a ladies' man."

"He certainly was," Blaze agreed.

"Commence battle. We are not alone!" Andersen encouraged.

"Kestrel CIC here. We'll transmit IFF data for the opposing ships. Don't fire on our allies. Can you do that?" A Kestrel crew member inquired.

"Of course we can," Blaze responded, sounding mildly offended. She dipped her plane and fired two missiles at the first ship.

"Really, you would think that after so many missions, they would have more faith in us to not accidentally fire on our allies," Grimm said with a "tsk-tsk" at the end.

"Attack any ships that desert the fleet immediately," The Yuke Fleet Commander snarled. This man was nuts; I still couldn't believe he was allowing and _pushing _his followers to fire on their own ships.

"Unbelievable! They're firing at their own ships!" Grimm exclaimed in astonishment. Blaze had fired her guns at another ship her line of fire but she had been going so fast she couldn't finish the job. However, she didn't turn around to destroy it because she knew we would; Snow took the task of destroying the ship while Grimm and I surged on ahead, attacking any and all ships we could.

"I'll support the Yuke fleet coming to our side," I suggested.

"They're fine," Blaze said. "I destroyed the ships nearest to them so the enemy should have a harder time sinking them. However, someone needs to take care of those enemy planes. Grimm, Snow?"

"On it," Grimm said. He and Snow went up to a higher altitude and began shooting down enemy planes.

"There are only four enemy planes," A Yuke said with smugness. He was obviously underestimating us…

"What a joke." Another Yuke snorted. "You'd better not take any damage."

"Those planes… are you the Razgriz?" I knew it was a friendly Yuke asking, just by the tone of his voice.

"Yes, sir," Blaze answered kindly.

"Wow… it's an honor to be fighting with you. I never thought that would happen," he admitted. I was pretty sure the guy was young. His voice just had that innocence in it; most likely, this was the first real battle he had seen.

"It's an honor to fight with you, too. Thank you for coming to our support," Blaze said and I knew she was smiling.

Blaze fired her guns at enemy Yuke frigates, three in total. She damaged them enough so that when I went in, all I had to do was fire a missile and they were destroyed. However, I had to use guns on the third ship because my missiles hadn't reloaded yet.

"Kestrel! We're joining your fleet," A Yuke announced.

"You have my gratitude," Andersen said sincerely.

"Look the battle's just taken a new turn," Snow observed.

"Someone out there understands us. I can't believe it!" I said.

"Sorry. My eyes area just tearing up looking at our new fleet," Grimm said, pretending to sniffle.

Wow, four ships now were on our side. The enemy had started out with eighteen, destroyed one, so that made it seventeen, and then three joined our side, making that fourteen, and now another ship had joined, making that thirteen ships on the enemies side. And that's not including the ones we had destroyed (which I had now lost count). I was in shock… this was really happening. We were really fighting with the people I had just a few weeks earlier considered my enemies.

"I can't believe we're fighting with the people we considered our enemies just a few weeks ago," Blaze commented.

"Wow, we're freaking psychic with each other," I pointed out. "I just was thinking that."

"Oh my god…" Blaze mumbled.

"What?"

"We're like Edward Cullen…"

"Only you would think of that," I said, laughing.

"If I was stuck in an elevator with Edward Cullen, you know what I would do?" Grimm questioned.

"What?" Snow, Blaze, and I inquired simultaneously.

"I love it when that happens… Anyways, I would think of something really nasty or start singing an annoying song that's really catchy."

Blaze snorted. "I idolize you for that Grimm."

"You've lost all sanity," I retorted, although I couldn't help but grin.

"Should I be worried that you know Edward Cullen can read minds?" Snow demanded warily.

"Cassie talks about it all the time; she doesn't like Edward, just his powers. She's Team Jacob," Grimm explained.

"I am, too. I might not read the books, but I must say I am Team Jacob. He's so much cooler than Edward," Blaze mused.

"I second that," I agreed.

"Wow, this is just sad… we're talking about _Twilight _in the middle of a battle. Did you know that Edward is the son of Dracula and Tinkerbell?" Blaze questioned innocently.

"That explains so freaking much… I wonder if the sun will be so intense one day that he'll explode into fairy dust," Grimm wondered. Blaze, Snow, and I laughed.

"Cassie is going to kill us when we land," Blaze admonished drolly.

"Hey, not to change the subject here, but could someone get this scumbag off my tail?" Snow asked politely.

"I'm on it," Blaze said, leaving me to fire at ships. I was pretty far away from the remaining enemy ships since we had destroyed the Yuke frigates and by the time I got to another one, Blaze had shot down the enemy plane trailing Snow and was already firing at ships and dodging enemy fire.

"This is what we've been waiting for," Snow acknowledged.

"I'll take full responsibility for this! Commence firing!" A Yuke shouted. I realized the guy was on our side and I was amazed he was willing to fight his own people for our sake. It sort of hit me right then and there that we were changing the way this war was going. We were only four planes… I guess that tells you that a small group can make a big difference…

Another friendly Yuke said, "'Enemy fleet' ahead. Commencing attack."

"Our planes are all afraid, saying the Razgriz are here," A Yuke informed over the mic. Just by what was said, I could tell it was an enemy.

"What kind of excuse is that?" The Fleet Commander barked. "Tell them to hurry up and engage!"

I noticed that while Blaze and I had destroyed a fair amount of ships and that Grimm and Snow had taken out a good amount of the air defense, there were still a lot of enemies left and they had a lot of anti-air defenses on them.

"The enemy has an incredible amount of military force," I observed.

"Thanks to Belka, trust me on that one," Blaze said.

"They've got an overwhelming advantage in manpower. We'll be slaughtered," A Kestrel crew member shouted frantically.

"It takes more than manpower to win a battle. You just watch!" A different Kestrel member defended.

"And you have us," Blaze pointed out.

"They must be insane to join up with the losing side," An enemy Yuke declared.

"Just FYI, we're fighting for both Osea _and _Yuktobania. We might have an Osean carrier as our flagship but we don't owe allegiance to them right now. To them, we're traitors," Blaze replied hotly. Whether the enemy heard her or not, I wasn't sure but if they did, maybe they could be persuaded to stop fighting us and join us. However, I was pretty positive they hadn't heard Blaze.

"I can't believe we have to fight an air-to-air battle and an anti-ship battle at the same time!" Snow grumbled.

"I've been in situations like this before but not on this magnitude… in fact, my first air-to-air and air-to-ship battle was with you Captain Snow," Blaze said thoughtfully. "You yelled at Nagase to, and I quote, 'Stop screwing around. This is war. The enemy will eat you alive.'"

Blaze started to laugh while Snow apologized sheepishly.

"Dammit, we're getting fired at!" A friendly Yuke yelled.

"Those are our allies now. Anyone who attacks them is our enemy," Snow said as he flew down to help the friendly ship.

Blaze was on a roll, destroying ship after ship after ship. The ones she didn't, merely damaged, were the ones I finished off. We didn't have many enemies left. This battle was almost over.

"You idiots! When did you decide to sell out your own country?!" An enemy Yuke demanded, sounding somewhat hurt.

"When we didn't know what we were fighting for anymore. Maybe the Razgriz can shed some light on what's really happening. It's obvious they don't care who fights with them. The only reason they're attacking you is because you're attacking them. Maybe if you stopped and had the guts to talk to them, you could know why you were fighting as well," A Yuke soldier fired back.

I dove down and fired two missiles and my guns at an enemy Aegis ship. It was easily destroyed which the Kestrel decided to announce. "Yuke Aegis ship Kaniak sunk!"

"Allied fleet approaching," announced a Kestrel member.

"Osean ships you mean?" Andersen inquired, sounding thoughtful. "Hmm… it's probably a waste of time, but try requesting some support."

There was a pause and my mind was racing…

My first thought: I had spoken too soon about this battle being over. Of that, I was sure of.

My second thought: I was most likely going to have to shoot at the Osean fleet. It made me feel like a hypocrite after not believing the Yuke's could shoot at their own ships. Now I was going to have to sink Osean ships. I might not be fighting for them officially for them, but I still didn't want to have to sink my country's own ships.

"Looks like the Osean fleet has been listening to all of our communications up to now. They're calling us traitors that joined forces with the Yukes," a Kestrel member informed solemnly.

"Just because they've added to their numbers, they're still no threat," An enemy Yuke declared hotly.

"So, this probably isn't the best question to ask but if the Oseans are going to attack us and there a still a couple Yuke ships left, if our ships get sunk, are the Oseans going to then attack the Yukes even though the Yukes are firing at us too? Because technically, when you have the same enemy, you're technically allies," Blaze rambled. It was a lot she had said, but I got her point.

"Honestly, that's a really good question," I admitted.

"The Boyky is a tough one. Attack that ship first," A friendly Yuke ordered.

"You are a traitor to our country!" An enemy snarled. "If they want to be sunk, so be it. Commence attack!"

"Does anyone else think that 'Boyky' sounds like 'boinkin'?" Grimm asked.

"Oh Grimm…" Blaze groaned as Snow started to crack up along with me.

"Osean ships attacking! Transmitting IFF data. Intercept that attack," The Kestrel guy commanded.

"Ah hell…" Blaze mumbled. "We're on it."

She turned her plane in that direction, leaving me and Snow and Grimm to finish off the remaining Yuke ships. She had turned her plane reluctantly; I could tell just by the jerky, sudden movement Blaze had turned it.

However, although we were really supposed to finish off the Yukes, they were far from the Kestrel so why not destroy the Osean fleet that was a hell of a lot closer? I turned my plane and followed Blaze. Grimm and Snow followed.

"We're counting on you. Be very careful to not drop-"

"-any bombs on our allies. We got it," Blaze finished.

"Actually, I was going to say planes but those too."

I resisted the urge to retort that we already knew that but I knew it was no use.

"The Osean fleet turned over to the enemy!" I exclaimed in astonishment.

"That happened a long time ago, Nagase," Blaze answered.

"My IFF is inop! They're really shooting at me!" Grimm announced. I saw him dodging enemy fire from a plane that was trailing closely behind him.

"Of course they are. They don't know us. We're supposed to be dead," Snow pointed out dryly.

"Aren't we going to have problems maintaining a chain of command?" A guy from the Kestrel queried worriedly.

"No worries. All we gotta do is destroy the enemy in front of us," another guy assured. "Besides, the Kestrel is the only aircraft carrier here and I don't see any enemy flagships joining our side so I think Andersen will stay in charge."

"… I think you're right. I also believe that whatever ship the Razgriz are on is the ship that will be in command and since that's the Kestrel…"

"How could four planes turn the tide of the entire battle?!" A Yuke ship demanded. I destroyed the last Yuke ship and went to help Blaze who had already destroyed half the Osean fleet to my astonishment. I don't know why I was astonished… I mean, this _is_ Blaze fighting.

"The Razgriz! It's got to be them, right?!" A Yuke pilot shouted. Did these guys do anything else besides shout, yell, and bark what they're saying?

"All the ships are lined up. Now we're in business!" a guy from the Kestrel chirped. I vaguely realized that besides me, Cassie, and Blaze, the whole Osean fleet we were with was made of guys.

"Why is this happening? They were our comrades!" A Yuke enemy argued exasperatedly, obviously upset he had to fire on what I could only imagine were some of his friends.

"Those planes flying above us… aren't they the Razgriz?" This voice was different and I immediately recognized it as an Osean. But whereas before they talked to us with nothing but kindness, now they were dead set on killing us.

"No," Blaze replied casually although I could hear the slight sarcasm in her voice. Why was she lying to them?

"They're lying to us! Those bastards! Don't forget what pain they've caused us," An Osean barked.

"Congratulations. Looks like the Oseans can still pick up on sarcasm," Blaze complimented. Ah, so she had just wanted to mess with them. Typical Blaze…

"So, you have the nerve to respond?!" The Osean snarled. "You'll pay dearly for your crime of treason!"

"How is it treason if I'm no longer fighting for the Osean military?" Blaze inquired.

"Because you're an ex-Osean pilot that has joined forces with the Yukes!" He snapped.

"Actually, no, for two reasons. Number one you see is they joined forces with us because they had this brilliant idea called 'talking it out and finding out the truth about what the hell's going on here.' Number two is my squad and I are supposedly dead, and put 'dead' in air quotes for emphasis. We're actually not supposed to be here so I'm assuming in the Osean military database, we're in there as 'KIA' so how do we serve Osea if we're not even alive to them? Do you see where I'm going with this?"

"You're using an Osean ship for your carrier!" He pointed out.

"Yes, and they're not fighting for Osea either," Blaze said, sounding bored.

"If you're not fighting for Osea, and you're not fighting for the Yukes, then who _are_ you fighting for?" He questioned sternly.

"We fight for both countries, not one specifically. Unfortunately, some of you are too thick-headed to see that and you're _making_ us fire on you. Believe me, we don't want to fire on the people we called allies just a few weeks ago," Blaze said. "We would be very willing to stop fighting and talk to you and tell you what's going on."

There was a pause and I had a small hope Blaze had convinced the guy to join our side. I guess that wasn't the case because he said that we were twisting the truth to convince him to join us and that he would never fall for it.

"Well, it was worth a shot," Blaze mumbled.

"If I had been him, you would've convinced me," Grimm told her.

"Thanks Grimm. Now if only everyone in the Osean military was as sensible as you."

I went up in a loop to make a missile lose track on me. It worked just like I knew it would and when I headed back down in a complete vertical dive, I used a special weapon, an LASM, and destroyed the ship that had sent the missile after me in the first place. I forgot I could use my special weapons and in no time, I had destroyed almost all the Osean ships with Blaze.

"This will likely be our final personal transmission. Collin, good luck in battle," A Yuke fleet (a friend) said.

"Don't say that. Once this is over, everything will be back to normal again," Another Yuke, who I'm going to guess is Collin, said.

"The fewer the sacrifices, the better… Fire," a friendly Yuke commander ordered.

"We're too close to them. Tell them to open up some space between us," a Kestrel guy directed. Then he added, "And don't make the Razgriz do all the work for us!"

"We're going to put the Razgriz in the watery grave," An Osean growled.

"Hatred calls forth nothing but more hatred," Snow mused, "and this is the result. Is there nothing we can do?"

"I don't think there is anything _else_ we can do. We've tried to convince them to just talk to us and that didn't work. So now we have to let it play out how it's supposed to," Blaze responded thoughtfully.

"The fate of human nature, huh? I certainly won't disagree," Snow decided.

"Everything happens for a reason," Blaze said with a sigh. "And sometimes, I would love to know what that reason is."

"Amen to that one," I agreed. Blaze and I flew low to the ocean, and I'm pretty sure we were sending up ocean spray. I didn't dare look back and see though because I didn't trust myself at that moment to not crash into the ocean.

We flew in between the Kestrel and the Andromeda and passed two friendly Yuke ships that had finally reached our little fleet. I could've sworn I heard them cheering.

"I can see everyone on deck waving at us," A Kestrel guy said in a way that I just knew he was smiling. I heard Blaze give a small laugh before she shot up. I followed her. I knew that she was showing off for the Yukes, even though we were in the middle of a battle. I think it gave her something else to think about besides the fact that we were firing on the people we had called allies.

She got behind an enemy plane, fired two missiles and went after another one. Her missiles hit and the new enemy she was trailing was gone in less than a minute.

"The enemy's headed straight to their doom," An Osean growled. There were only two Osean ships and about four or five planes left.

"Uh, I hate to point this out to y'all but you're outnumbered. Might I remind you that you started out with like, ten ships, and there are two of you left? And those planes in the air? There were twenty… there's like… five. Who do you think is going to win this?" Blaze pointed out as she shot down another plane.

"She has a point you know," Snow observed.

"Bystry, merge with the main fleet," a friendly Yuke ship commanded. "This is to everyone: blow the side of the ship under the smokestacks. That'll render them immobile in minutes."

"All ships capable of attack, follow us," A Kestrel crew member instructed.

"Connect this to the ship's PA system. Let everyone onboard hear it," a Yuke said. I wish I knew some of these guys names because I'm getting tired of saying 'this Yuke' and 'that Yuke' and 'an enemy Osean.' It gets old, you know?

_The Journey Home_ suddenly became louder and I knew that it was what the Yuke had been talking about. The next transmission confirmed that for me. "Ah, "The Journey Home"… I love that song."

"There they go with that move again. They never could shake that habit," A Yuke said.

"You know, it's an advantage and a disadvantage having Yukes on our side because they can read their own people and their own people can read them so you have an equal battle," Blaze noted.

"It makes you wonder who would win if we weren't helping," I said. I realized we had shot down all of the enemy planes but that I slightly miscalculated the amount of remaining Osean ships. There were actually six instead of two… so I guess that's more than a 'slight miscalculation.' "Enemy escort ships dwindling. We're almost there."

"Thank god," Grimm muttered. "I'm sick of shooting at these people."

"Let's finish them," Blaze said, sounding grim.

"Transmission from Osean carrier: 'From the bottom of our heart, we thank you for joining our fleet.'"

"We cannot hand over the Gumrak to the enemy," an enemy Yuke ship declared hotly. Blaze was already flying there and I was shocked at how close the Yukes had come to our fleet.

"Holy hell," Grimm said.

"That's a contradiction for you." Blaze laughed. I rolled my eyes even though she couldn't see it.

"This is Gumrak. Commencing attack. Target Zavtra!"

"Kestrel, tell the friendly Yuke ships, and Oseans if we have any, that the Razgriz are so grateful they've decided to help us out," Blaze ordered.

There was a pause before a friendly Yuke said, "The Razgriz are thanking us for their help! Wow! I never thought they'd be thanking us!"

I grinned. These people idolized us so much and we were just doing our job. I also realized they were pretty much lionizing mere kids in military terms. We were in our mid-twenties, save for Snow who was about ten years older than us.

"The Svabodny's in the lead? This won't be like the war games," a friendly Yuke grumbled.

"Uh, it's not in the lead anymore," Blaze said.

"I would ask why but it's a stupid question to ask the Razgriz," the guy replied with amusement. "Thanks for getting it out of the way."

We had two enemy ships left, which we gave Blaze the honor of destroying. She flew towards the first one at a rapid pace.

"What is this?" the enemy ship asked, incensed. "Somebody stop this song! Why are we listening to the enemy's music?"

"Did he really just notice it was playing?" Snow inquired with blunt astonishment.

"I sometimes wonder if our jet engine noise messes with the brains of our friends on the ground, you know, it rattles their brains a little and makes them become ignorant sounding?" Blaze wondered aloud.

"It would make sense but I think we would've learned that in our training if that were the case," I said.

"I was trying to help them out, you know? Give them a reason for being ignorant and stating the obvious, but I guess there are some things you just can't fix." She sighed as she destroyed the ship, turned around, and headed for the last one.

"That's all of them!" Blaze chirped.

"Uh, actually, there's more…" Grimm observed.

"What?!" Blaze exclaimed. "Dear God, they just pop up out of nowhere. Y'all get those last three."

Grimm, Snow, and I headed towards what I hoped were actually the last ships we had to fight. They looked like they were Osean… I could've sworn we destroyed all of them… well, apparently we didn't.

"Enemy Osean fleet destroyed. We'll continue to attack the remaining enemy ships," The Kestrel announced.

"Wait, what?" I asked, completely confused. "I thought those were Yukes we just destroyed?!"

"No, those were Oseans. I think you're confused Nagase…" Blaze said.

"Damn… I need sleep really badly."

"Budusheye sent word that they're joining us," A Yuke informed. An enemy ship that was severely damaged disappeared off my radar and I knew for a fact none of us had destroyed it.

"They did that just in the nick of time. I was going in for a strike that would've done them in," Blaze acknowledged. "I'm glad I didn't though. We need all the allies we can get."

"The Budusheye's joining, huh? Now we have a chance," Another Yuke friend said as I destroyed the last enemy ship.

**MISSION ACCOMPLISHED**

"All enemy ships suppressed. We've won!" The Kestrel shouted victoriously.

"This is the captain of the carrier Kestrel. To all the brave souls that have survived, I congratulate you. Our journey is almost at an end. But we must not waiver in our resolve to fight, to reclaim peace between the two nations."

"This is the Captain of the 'Ghosts of Razgriz.' Thank you to everyone who has now joined our fleet. You have our utmost gratitude," Blaze said graciously as I got ready to land.

It didn't take too long for us to land; Blaze was flying in between ships while Snow, Grimm, and I landed. When I got out of my plane, I could see the Yukes all out on the decks, watching her fly. Someone caught sight of me and waved; with a grin, I waved back. Grimm landed after me, then Snow, and then Blaze. When we stood together and waved at the Yukes waving at us, they started to cheer. I felt myself tearing up at the sight… and the sound.

One of the Kestrel guys came and told us to go down to the briefing room. With a final wave, we walked to the briefing room. The four of us stood while we listened. We weren't too keen on sitting since we had just flown. I don't know about the others, but my butt was kind of sore.

I did not just admit that…

The briefer came up and he had a grin on his face; I think that was the first time I had ever seen him smiling. "The chaos has subsided. All Yuktobanian ships in the area, as well as all hostile Osean forces, have been brought under control. A decision was made to quickly form a combined fleet of Yuktobanian and Osean ships, with the Kestrel as its flagship."

The briefer dismissed us and we exited the room only to be swept up in a hug by Genette and Cassie. There was a lot of laughing and grinning. Cassie slapped me, Grimm, and Snow upside the head. Blaze managed to duck out of the way.

Even Geller came running down but he seemed happy about something completely different. He put his hands on Blaze's shoulders with a crazed look in his eye and an ecstatic smile that reached from ear to ear. That guy seriously needed to lay off the caffeine…

"Miss Blaze! I'm almost done! I'm almost done decoding the disc!" Geller announced.

"That's great! How long do you think it will take you to finish?" Blaze inquired, putting her hands on Geller's shoulders.

"Only a few hours. It'll be done by tomorrow." I felt my mouth drop open.

"You're really something Geller," I complimented. He turned to me with his crazy grin.

"Thank you, Miss Nagase," He said.

"Go get some sleep. Genette will work on the disc," Blaze said, turning him around and attempting to push him towards the way to go to his room. Geller barely budged.

"No! I have to finish it! I just thought you'd want to know," He said.

Blaze dropped her head and shook it. "I know I can't convince you to get some rest. Thank you for telling me. I'll have your next cup of coffee ready in a little while."

He laughed and said okay before running back to the computer room.

"He really needs to lay off the caffeine," I commented.

"This is going to be his last cup of the day," Blaze assured before she headed to the cafeteria. The rest of us split up. Snow declared he was going to take a hot shower, eat, and then take a nice long nap. Cassie and Grimm went to Grimm's room to go to sleep and Genette and I went to my room. We lay down on my bed and stared at the top bunk. His arm was around me and I had my head resting on his shoulder, just above his heart.

"Good night, Genette," I whispered, snuggling up to him and closing my eyes.

"Good night, beautiful," he replied softly; I smiled.

* * *

**December 30, 2010, 1330 HRS…**

I woke up to someone gruffly shaking me awake. When I woke up, Blaze was standing over me, a wild look in her eyes.

"Geez, Blaze. What's got you in such a state?" I grumbled. Genette groggily opened his eyes and stared at his sister. It dawned on me I hadn't seen Blaze this excited since before Chopper died.

Elatedly, she informed, "Geller! He did it! He decoded the disc!"

* * *

**Okay! There's the chapter. I would've had it up sooner but my computer decided to freeze up completely resulting in me shutting it down and it deleted five pages of writing. Needless to say, I was ticked off. Anyways, please review! You really don't understand how happy they make me haha**


	31. Aces

**Hey y'all! Just for everyone's information, I have turned into a complete Star Wars geek. I bought a shirt that says "I 3 Star Wars." So, expect some Star Wars references in this chapter.**

**Also, if you want to know a great anger management technique, here's what you need: 1 pair of garden clippers and a forest of trees with dead limbs. Here's what you do: You whack those dead branches with those clippers as hard you can. I tried it because I'm mitigating my backyard because I don't want my home state to be the U.S.'s torch again and it's really fun to whack off branches. One was three feet long, no joke.**

**So, now that y'all have probably decided I'm psychotic (I'm not denying it) and that I have anger issues (I actually don't have them), read the story.**

**Quote of the Chapter:  
****"We have women in the military, but they don't put us in the front lines. They don't know if we can fight, if we can kill. I think we can. All the general has to do is walk over to the women and say, 'You see the enemy over there? They say you look fat in those uniforms.'"  
****~Elayne Boosler**

* * *

Chapter 31: Aces

**Nagase**

Blaze was standing behind Geller, braced up against his chair while Genette and I stood on his left. Grimm, Cassie, and Snow were peering over us while Pops and Andersen were on Geller's right. He was showing us the Gray Men's plans that had been on the disc. It had all the details of the Strategic Orbital Linear Gun, or simply called the SOLG. I knew a little bit about the history of it. I knew it was Osean made, that the project had been abandoned following the ending of the Belkan War, and that it was classified as an Attack Satellite that had never been fully completed. Well, from the looks of it, Belka, or more specifically the Gray Men, had secretly completed the SOLG and had put a massive weapon on it. Geller called it the V-2. He explained its workings but there were so many big terms he used that the only part I understood was if the V-2 was launched, there was going to be pandemonium and lots and lots of death. Also, because of its orbit something or other, it allows the SOLG to strike anywhere.

"So when do we attack it?" Blaze inquired, looking at Pops expectantly.

"Geller, you said there was a control panel?" Pops asked.

"Yes, sir. It's in Sudentor. By the looks of all the plans on here, the control facility has two control panels and they are in a tunnel underneath the Waldreich Mountains. It would take too long for someone to drive into the facility, destroy both of them, and come back out. They don't make any vehicles fast enough," Geller informed grimly.

We fell silent. What could we do? Blaze murmured something but I couldn't understand her. Pops, however, did, and it seemed to shock him.

"What did you say?" Pops demanded; I think he asked the question just to make sure he heard her right. What she said next was definitely not something I was expecting. I thought maybe she knew of some missile that you could control and we could fly it through the tunnel and destroy the control system or something else really cool sounding.

"Fly," Blaze repeated. "I can fly through it."

We all stared at her in astonishment.

"What the hell are you thinking Blaze?" I said sharply.

"It's suicide!" Cassie exclaimed.

"It's an impetuous move, Captain," Snow acknowledged.

"You're a great flyer Blaze but even that's too much," Grimm said.

"The Demon Lord flew in Avalon in a tunnel narrower than this one. What's the difference?" Blaze countered. I had to admit, it was a decent argument.

"Damn it, Blaze! You're not going! I'm not going to let you go on a suicide mission. You know it is and yet you want to do it anyway! I know you miss Chopper but don't you dare do it… don't you _dare_ do it," Genette ranted. I felt my mouth drop open.

"What do you mean?" Blaze growled. I had never seen her look so angry in my life, not even when the Base Commander had told her to 'suck it up.' Genette needed to tread lightly. I had seen Blaze lose her temper but I think with the way she had been acting lately, he temper would be much, much worse.

"Don't make me say it," He admonished in an eerily calm voice. Blaze's nostrils flared but the challenge in her eyes was unmistakable and Genette took the bait. "You want to kill two birds with one stone: Your plan is to destroy the control by crashing into it, then you will have succeeded in your mission and you'll be with Chopper."

The air seemed to freeze around us. No one moved a muscle… until Blaze slapped him… hard. The impact was so loud I believe I felt a sound vibration from it. Genette raised a hand to his cheek, as if stunned by the fact that Blaze had slapped him and that he had just said what he did. There was a distinct handprint on his cheek, so distinct I think I could even see some lines from Blaze's hands on there. I turned my attention to Blaze who seemed to be in a state of shock. Her mouth covered her hand as her other gripped her stomach. Her eyes were wide and fearful; I knew she hadn't meant to slap him… at least not that hard.

Without another word, Genette turned on his heel and left the room. Blaze, almost as if she was inebriated, stumbled after him, and I could've sworn I saw a tear fall down her cheek.

"Sir, should we go after them?" Geller asked hesitantly.

Pops shook his head. "No. We need to let them work it out."

"What are we going to do about the SOLG's control system? We need to destroy it somehow," Geller pointed out stoically.

Pops grimaced as he said, "I know, and unfortunately, Blaze is right. The only way we have a chance of destroying that thing is if someone flies through there. And my bets are if anyone could pull it off, it would be her."

* * *

**Blaze**

I staggered after Genette, my feet not following what my brain was telling them, probably because my brain was on overload that I had just violently assaulted my brother.

"Genette!" I called out, attempting to get him to stop. He didn't, leaving me to continue to chase after him in my drunken-like running. Somehow, miraculously, I caught up to him and grabbed a hold of his arm but he gruffly shook me off. "Genette, please talk to me. I didn't mean to! I'm sorry!"

"Sorry isn't good enough Elizabeth," Genette snapped as he whirled around. Now I knew how truly pissed off he was. He never used my real name unless he was super, unbelievably mad or beyond belief worried; it was obvious which one he was now. His cheek was bruising badly and my stomach lurched at the sight of it. How could I have done that? I reached up to touch it but he swatted my hand away. The gesture hurt, but I deserved it.

"I know you're mad-"

"I'm not mad, Elizabeth," Genette cut me off, sounding tired. "I'm scared."

"Scared? Of what?"

"Of you!" He shouted, his lethargic tone completely gone. "I'm scared that you've had a complete mental breakdown and that you've finally cracked and that flying this suicide mission is the way you want to-"

He didn't finish as he choked up. I had never seen my brother so close to crying. He hadn't cried in years.

"I'm not going on this suicide mission so I can join Chopper. I'm going to do it for my country and I fully intend to survive it. I have too much to live for and I would never leave you or Nagase or Grimm or Cassie or Snow or Pops or mom and dad and Uncle Jason," I declared. "I'm not a little girl anymore. I can take care of myself. You don't need to watch out for me. I know what I'm doing."

"Do you?! Do you know I do nothing but worry about you anymore?"

"Why do you worry about me? You _know_ me; I'm your sister," I said.

"I _don't_ know you anymore Elizabeth, that's just it! Ever since Chopper died, you've changed. I mean, the risks you're willing to take are psychotic and not even Uncle Jason would pull those stunts! What's happened to you? You're not the person I used to know… I just want my sister back," Genette admitted quietly.

"Genette-" I began.

"Save it. I'm sick of your lies saying you're all right because I know you're not. When you're ready to tell me the truth, let me know. I'll be in my room."

Of course, I had no intentions of telling him anything, so I shouted, "I'll be downstairs, starboard side, if you need me." He didn't reply. I didn't blame him.

* * *

**Snow**

Pops called us for an early briefing. We weren't going to head out yet but we were going to get an idea from this briefing. Blaze was nowhere to be found which worried all of us but she had this strange habit of popping up when she was needed. I wasn't going to doubt her now…

Genette was present and he had a nasty bruise on his cheek from where Blaze slapped him. He wasn't using any ice; he should've but he didn't seem in the mood to talk so I didn't say anything. I honestly couldn't blame him for not wanting to talk.

"We've decoded the disc that the 'Major' brought back with her," Pops explained. "It contained the blueprints for a 'Mass Retaliation Weapon,' code name 'V2,' a far more powerful weapon than the two tactical nukes that the Belkans used in the last war. It was never fully developed at the time, but it appears that they've secretly completed its construction in the fifteen years since the war. The V2 is a MIRV missile… it could wipe out half of all the large cities in either Osea or Yuktobania. So where would they deploy it? It had to be the SOLG, which was also secretly completed and is now operational. After all, it was built to function as an orbital platform for such weapons in the first place. The SOLG itself is unmanned- we know it's controlled from the ground, but we didn't know where. Then, the intelligence vessel Andromeda tracked down the origin of 'Schenze's' transmissions to the Arkbird. It's in the former South Belka, a state entrusted to Osean rule and is now called North Osea. To be more precise, the transmissions originated from an experimental facility owned by Gründer Industries, the manufacturer of the weapons we use. The president of Gründer has sworn allegiance to Osea, but in truth, he was a secret member of the 'Gray Men.' Under the guise of their 'experimental facility,' they are actually digging a gigantic tunnel under the mountain range that runs along the border dividing North and South Belka. Their ultimate goal is to reunite the two Belkas. And in that tunnel…"

A massive shudder went through the ship with an accompanying explosion sound, making us all jump about five feet in the air. It had come from the starboard side.

"What the hell?" I exclaimed.

Pops radioed the bridge, demanding to know what had happened. The voice replied frantically, "The Kestrel just took a missile hit! Enemy unknown. We can't identify it in time! Additional missiles approaching! Razgriz, launch immediately and gain altitude to escape!"

"Blaze…" Genette murmured before bolting off.

"Genette!" Nagase shouted before she chased after him. Naturally, Cassie, Grimm, and I followed. Genette had made a lot of headway and we were all having trouble catching up to him. He was hysterically calling out Blaze's name. He practically leapt down the ladder to the floor below and I realized where he was going.

"What the hell are you doing Genette?" I shouted. "That's where the explosion was!"

"I know! Blaze is down there!" He answered. The four of us reached the ladder and crawled down.

"Genette!" Blaze yelled. I saw them hugging in the middle of the hallway; Blaze's eyes were shut and I had a feeling that she was glad Genette was even talking to her. We reached them as Genette held her in front of him.

"Are you okay?" he questioned, looking up and down her, checking for injuries.

"I'm fine," She insisted. "What the hell was that noise?"

"A missile hit the starboard side of the ship," Genette explained. "Let's get up to higher floors. I don't think we're just going to get that one missile."

None of us hesitated and we ran like lightning up to the hangar and we explained to Blaze that we had been ordered to launch.

"We're taking the F-22A Raptors," Blaze informed. Ironically, right after she said that, a Kestrel crew member said, "This'll probably be the last time this ship launches an aircraft, so go ahead and pick the best plane we got in here."

Another added, "Pick whatever you want, we'll catapult it into the sky. We're gonna get you up there, no matter what, all right?"

Blaze announced her choice and we immediately helped get the planes ready. Nagase, Grimm, and I were already in our planes. Nagase was in the process of rising up to the catapult and Blaze was putting on her helmet when another explosion rocked the ship. Blaze was thrown forward but Genette, who had been holding onto the ladder leading up to her seat, grabbed her by the waist and didn't let go of her until the boat's excessive rocking receded. Blaze gave him a hug, and with the way Genette was returning it, I was pretty sure they were squeezing the living daylights out of each other.

* * *

**Blaze**

"Be careful, Blaze, please be careful," Genette begged as Cassie waited patiently for Genette to go up to the bridge with her. She was a conservative distance away that gave me and Genette some privacy, although we still kept our tones quiet.

"You, too, Genette," I whispered. "I'm so sorry about earlier. You have to believe me."

"I do; I never should have said that. I know you wouldn't do that." He sniffed and blinked. "Now go before I stop you from flying and kicking some Belkan Gray Men ass."

I gave him a sad smile and he reached down and kissed me on the top of the head.

"I love you, little sis," He said.

"Love you too, big bro. I'll see you soon," I assured, giving him a kiss on his bruised cheek. With one last hug, I got in my plane, put my helmet on, and waited to takeoff. I saw Genette and Cassie running out of the hangar and presumably up to the bridge. He was in good hands with Pops and Andersen.

Suddenly, my thoughts went to Chopper's wallet. I patted my pockets, not wanting to leave without it, and was instantly calmed when I felt its bulk in my pocket. It was the only thing of Chopper's that I had. I wasn't going to go anywhere without it.

* * *

**Geller**

I was standing with Andersen and Pops up at the bridge. I had the Gray Men's disc in my hand; I was gripping it so tightly that my knuckles were white. I couldn't lose this, even if I did make my hand permanently stay in a fist. Hell, they would probably have to saw off my fingers to get to the disc…

I needed sleep…

Pushing the disturbing thoughts out of my head and mentally reminding myself that I needed sleep as soon as possible, I focused on the scene surrounding me. Pops had his arms crossed and was staring out at the chaos going on down below. Andersen had his head bowed as a crew member was frantically saying what was going on.

"Second wave of missiles inbound! Ten seconds to impact! Counter with artillery barrage! We can't hit all of them! Brace for impact!" The guy shouted. I made my stance wider and waited for the impact. I glanced at Andersen but the only thing he did was slightly turn his head and right after the missile rocked the boat, making it shudder.

"Starboard side flood! Damage control! We've been hit by two sub-launched missiles! The ship's listing!" the crew guy announced, madly tapping away on the ships controls.

"Launch them out!" Andersen commanded.

"We can't! The ship's listing heavily to starboard. We're sinking fast!" the guy pointed out.

"Continue with the launch."

"But…"

"Take them up. Hurry up with the catapult. Just concentrate on launching them. All hands not conducting aircraft launch, abandon ship immediately."

"Sir, what should I do?" I asked.

Andersen turned and looked at me. "You abandon ship with us. We need to find Genette and Cassie before we abandon ship. Do you know where they are?"

"No, sir," I replied.

"They're launching," Genette's voice informed. I turned around to see him and Cassie sliding to a stop.

"Good. That was what I was going to order them to do anyway," Andersen commented. We all had to brace ourselves by leaning on our left foot because the ship was listing so heavily to starboard.

"I think we can leave. We don't have anything to do with the launch," Pops said. No one disagreed so we all headed out the door. Andersen hesitated. I'm sure it was painful to leave such a magnificent ship.

"She'll always be remembered," Cassie said softly. Andersen smiled slightly before he turned around.

"Let's go," he ordered. We followed him to the remaining life boats. There were five, plenty for the remaining number of crew on board. "I'm staying until everyone is off. I want to be the last person to get off this ship."

None of us could see any problem with that except that we might sink with the ship but we decided not to mention that. I saw three planes in the air. The Kestrel had launched them quickly. I remember reading somewhere that the carrier could launch aircraft every twenty five seconds. I heard the final engine, and somehow, I knew it was Blaze. Apparently, I think everyone else did too because we looked up at the ceiling, knowing she was right above our heads.

* * *

**Blaze**

I was last to take off. I had ordered Nagase, Snow, and Grimm to take off before me. They were more important because as Bartlett always used to say, "It's getting the crew back alive that counts." If I sunk with the ship on my airplane, they could continue on.

"We're getting you guys into the air no matter what. I don't care what happens to the catapult!" A Kestrel crew member shouted. I took off, wanting to get off the ship for two reasons: one, so I wouldn't sink with it because I really didn't want to die today (I had some things to settle with Grabacr and Ofnir), and two, I wanted the catapult crew members to get off the sinking ship too.

* * *

**Geller**

"Good luck, Miss Blaze," I said quietly.

"She doesn't know she's flying through that tunnel," Cassie informed.

"She'll do just fine," Genette assured. Her plane came within view and she did a three-sixty spin. All of us grinned.

"She still has spunk to her," I noted.

"She'll always have spunk. She could be held hostage and she would still have spunk to her and she would probably piss her captors off… purposely," Cassie said with a laugh.

"You _know_ she would do that," Genette corrected. There was the pounding of feet as the rest of the crew members came down and got onto the life boats. Pops got into the final life boat first so he could help Cassie down. I went after her, followed by Genette, who had his camera and camcorder (I hadn't noticed that before). Andersen was last.

"Goodbye," he said to the ship. Then he got on the lifeboat and didn't look back.

* * *

**Genette**

We lowered the lifeboat and quickly got away from the sinking Kestrel. It was a pitiful sight. Blaze flew with her wingmen in standard formation and as they flew over the Kestrel, they dipped their wings to right in honor of the ship.

And then they flew off toward Sudentor; I wondered how Blaze was going to react when she found out we were actually going through with her plan…

One of the crew waved at them as they flew over us, the engine noise deafening. I don't know if he was seen or not, but I had a sneaking suspicion that when Grimm's plane tipped from side to side, he was trying to wave back.

"Enemy submarine sunk!" Someone shouted cheerfully. Almost everyone cheered as an explosion occurred underwater, sending ocean spray onto I'm pretty sure all of us, but everyone in our lifeboat, me, Cassie, Geller, Pops, and Andersen, stayed silent.

"She's sinking. The ship's sinking," Another guy called out. I looked at the Kestrel; it had black smoke rising up in the air, almost the same color as the Razgriz Squadron's planes. I could hear the creaking of the metal as it was being consumed by the icy waters of the Ceres Ocean. I turned around to look at the reactions of the crew and I saw one man salute, and one by one, the crew members followed suit. I knew it wasn't the best time to take a picture, but the sight was so moving, I couldn't resist. I turned back around and the Kestrel was almost completely underwater. I stared at it until there was nothing more to be seen. Andersen never looked at it; he merely kept his head bowed and held his hat in his hands.

"The Kestrel… is gone," I announced softly.

"I've lost time and time again… but now, I've finally won," Andersen replied.

"Huh?" I answered absolutely brilliantly (please know that was sarcasm).

Andersen looked up at the receding sight of Blaze, Nagase, Snow, and Grimm. "Look! We launched them off safely. There's my victory. As long as they're in the air, I haven't lost. And I know they'll succeed," He declared assuredly.

"Yeah," Pops agreed, looking at the squadron as well. He was blocking the sun with his hands, and there was a slight smile on his face; I found myself smiling as well. Andersen put his captain's hat on and that's when I heard humming; I realized the Captain was humming a tune. The same song I heard from the anti-war audience in the stadium. He was the one playing that record in the middle of a sea battle.

Although I could tell he was saddened by the loss of his ship, Andersen seemed optimistic that the Razgriz would succeed as we were lifted onto the _Andromeda_ by her crew. Andersen immediately took charge of the ship as if it had always been his. No one argued with him as he walked up to the bridge. We all followed him and tuned in for the President's broadcast on the TV. We were close enough to Osea that we were able to pick it up.

We turned on the TV just in time to see President Harling walk up to the mic, looking serious. In the back were three people. One was Nikanor, waiting patiently for his turn to speak. The other one, which somewhat shocked me, was Pixy. He looked sharp in a black suit and a red tie. I wondered if he knew he was wearing the Razgriz colors. The third person shocked me so much that I vaguely wondered if I was hallucinating. It was my Uncle Jason… a.k.a. Cipher… a.k.a. the Demon Lord. What on earth was he doing there?

But I didn't have time to think about that because President Harling started to speak.

"This is President Harling of the Osean Federation. Attention, all Osean and Yuktobanian officers and soldiers currently on the battlefield. Let us put down our guns and come out of the trenches. The Osean capital of Oured has been freed of the people who took advantage of my absence to usurp control of the country. Once robbed of my freedom and of my ability to do the right thing, I now stand under the light of the golden sun, and I do so with the honorable Yuktobanian Prime Minister Nikanor by my side. We have resolved our terrible and unfortunate misunderstandings, and the war is now over," Harling stated before moving over to allow Nikanor to speak.

"This is Prime Minister Nikanor, head of the government for the Union of Yuktobanian Republics. Attention, all officers and soldiers of Osea and Yuktobania currently on the battlefield. Please watch as President Harling and I stand shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand." They stood next together. "President Harling's words are true. The war is over, but there is one more battle that still needs to be fought."

"We believe that those who have tried to stir hatred between us are now preparing a weapon that could wipe out half of all metropolitan areas in either one of our countries. Our comrades are in flight as I speak, determined to stop this plan dead in its tracks. Which country is under the threat of mass destruction? That, we do not know," Harling said.

"However, that is no longer important. No matter which country is hit, it would be a severe blow to all of us," Nikanor declared sincerely.

"So now I ask you, members of the military, if you see it in your hearts, please utilize the resources available to you and help out our brave pilots. Right now, they're flying east to meet the enemy," Harling announced, looking up towards the ceiling, but I knew he was imagining the sky and his personal air fleet flying above him. Whether that was true or not, I didn't know; however, it wouldn't surprise me if they were though because you have to admit, the Razgriz have impeccable timing. Of course, then I remembered Harling was in Oured and that was a long way from Sudentor.

"To those who still dare to hide behind the power of their hateful weapons. Bring yourself before the light of peace and harmony," Nikanor said, raising his hands up. The cheering that followed was sonorous and I couldn't help but wonder how many people thought they were going to go deaf.

* * *

**Snow**

**Sudentor, North Osea, 2221 Hours, December 30, 2010…**

The weather was grim and rainy as we flew in standard formation to the target area. None of us had really spoken on the way there, but the silence hadn't been awkward. We all were in our own thoughts. I vaguely wondered what was going in Blaze's mind. She had seemed sort of bashful in front of us. I think she was embarrassed from the earlier episode between her and Genette; honestly, I think I was on her side because if he had said that to me, I probably would've had the same reaction, just with a punch instead of a slap.

Four enemy targets appeared on our radar right about the time someone started to whistle _The Journey Home_. That song was becoming extremely popular in both countries. They played it once every hour on almost every radio station.

"Those are Yuke fighters," Grimm announced.

"Get ready, enemy fighters coming head on," Nagase admonished.

"I'll get ready to fire," Grimm said.

"Hang on," Blaze ordered. "They're showing as friends on my radar."

I looked down in confusion as I noticed it was the same on my radar.

"Whoa, they're friends on my radar too… what's happening?" Nagase asked. Grimm acknowledged his was showing the Yukes as friends too.

And then the enemy/friend formation (I didn't know which I could say yet), spoke to us. "This is the Yuktobanian 703rd Squadron. We heard the President's speech. We will fight with you."

I blinked in shock, as if that would clarify what I had just heard.

"Tell me I just heard y'all say you're joining us?" Blaze asked hesitantly.

"You heard right, miss. We're fighting with you," the guy repeated as they got in formation behind us and as the singing started to get louder.

"Thank you," Blaze said graciously. "Thank you so much!"

"Let us sing that song, too. We're going with you," An Osean squadron informed cheerfully.

"So are we," Another Osean squadron confirmed. The two friendly squadrons got behind us, one squadron, comprised of four planes, trailed to the left of us while the other squadron, comprised of two planes, took the center. We, the Razgriz, were leading the way, Blaze at the very front. I wondered how ominous the sight of twelve planes looked to the enemy. Pardon my language here, but I hoped it was scaring the shit out of them, especially since this new formation consisted of both Osean and Yuktobanian planes.

"… Does anyone else hear Chopper singing?" Blaze inquired softly. I listened to the singing and I almost could hear him.

"Yeah," Nagase said thoughtfully. "I do."

"Same here," Grimm added, sounding solemn and happy all at the same time.

I knew we were all just imagining it. I had seen the crash on the news and there was no way he could've survived it. Physically, he might not be alive, but mentally and spiritually, he was. In fact, he was alive and kicking… I should probably say kicking ass because this _is_ Chopper we're talking about.

"He'll be with us. And he'll kick anyone's ass who tries to kill Blaze," I said.

Blaze chuckled. "He'll kill anyone who tries to mess with any of us… I hope the bastard Hamilton is here so Chopper can take care of him. That would be wonderful."

"Be careful what you wish for Blaze. We don't want Hamilton here. He was trained by the Grabacr," Nagase pointed out.

"And we've taken care of the Grabacr before, we can do it again. I'm ready for him so Hamilton, if you're listening to this right now, I hope you know I'm ready for whatever you bring my way. If you don't come for me, trust me on this, I _will_ come for you."

Grimm whistled. "He's dead."

"He is?" Blaze nearly shouted. "Damn it…"

"Not literally. But when he meets you again, he will be."

Blaze laughed mischievously.

"This is the Osean First Fighter Wing," a guy announced. "I just knocked out the Brigade Commander. We'd also like to help."

"You knocked out the Brigade Commander?" Blaze questioned, sounding amused.

"Yes ma'am I did; he was a jerk to us anyways so he deserved it. Damn warmonger he was," the guy ranted. I wasn't sure if I should be happy the guy had knocked out the brigade commander or not. It was a good thing that he had because he could join us; it was a bad thing because it seemed like the crew held a mutiny against the guy. The last thing we need is a mutiny in our military.

Six military helicopters came and flew behind us. Now we had eighteen aircraft, including us, in our formation. If I was the enemy, I would be crapping in my pants right about now.

"This is the Yuktobanian 172nd Fighter-Bomber Squadron. We love that song, too," the gruff sounding Yuke announced. "We brought an AWACS with us."

"You have our utmost gratitude, all of you do," Blaze said earnestly. She sounded so young when she said that and I had to remind myself that she _was_ young, only twenty-four. She's a kid compared to some guys in the military.

"La la la…," the guy sang loudly (and off key). "Listen to our beautiful voice. This is AWACS Oka Nieba. That would mean "Sky Eye" in your language. We got a message from your boss. I'll patch it in."

Three planes flew in front of us but went up to higher altitude. I knew the one in the middle was the AWACS guy. He was kind of annoying but I had to admit, I kind of liked him… or at least his style… and his accent; he had a wicked accent. He was certainly better than Thunderhead, but that's not hard, now is it?

Pops' voice came on the mic. "The SOLG just docked with the last cargo shipment from the mass driver. It may be fully operational soon. The Andromeda has tracked down its transmission link. It's still coming from Schenze. I'll be briefing you, so pay attention."

"Yes, sir," We replied simultaneously.

The briefer came on and started to explain our mission. I already had a good idea of what our job was but Blaze, having missed the first (and last) briefing on the Kestrel, had no idea what we were going to do. It made me wonder on how she was going to react.

"We will attack the SOLG control system located in a giant tunnel under the Waldreich Mountains. The tunnel entrance is located at the foot of the mountains, and the entire area is covered by mountains and waterways. First, an armored force will try to move in from the town to infiltrate the wharf, where the entrance to the control system is located. There are several enemy defense positions built along the path that the armored force will take so air support will be vital for their invasion. Meanwhile, a helicopter formation will attack the control system entrance and capture the nearby area. We're also expecting the helicopters to face anti-air resistance, so we'll need support to put down enemy fire around the entrance. Your squadron's mission is to protect the armored forces and clear out a landing area for the helborne fleet. Once both units capture the facility entrance, a special-forces team will open up the shutter blocking the way inside. Go through the open entrance and destroy the SOLG control system from the inside."

"Gründer Industries has detected your approach and they're asking for help from the warmongers still left in both Osean and Yuktobania. Said they'd hand over the third V1 tactical nuke in exchange. They're hiding the more powerful V2 from them. Now listen, they're gonna be sending out fighter jets," Pops warned.

"Roger that," I said.

"Tell me I heard the briefer wrong when he said we would be flying through the tunnel…"Blaze nearly begged.

"We're doing what you proposed," I said.

"I know that but I know I'm psychotic enough to do it. What's with the 'we' part?"

"You didn't think we'd let you fly through it by yourself?" Nagase inquired.

"Uh, yeah, I did," Blaze replied bluntly as she dove towards two enemy tanks; she fired two missiles at one and fired her guns at the other. Only the smoldering remains would tell someone's tanks had been there.

"You're blonder than I thought; someone needs to watch your back and we're the only ones you can trust to do that," Nagase pointed out.

"Yeah, but if the gates start to shut on us, it'll be almost impossible for us to get out," Blaze countered.

"Then we'll just have to fly like the demon we're named after is chasing us," Grimm retorted. "You're not going to dissuade us Blaze, so you might as well drop it."

"I know, I know," she grumbled, destroying a hangar and an oil container. I had only destroyed a tank and a hangar. Already, Blaze was outdoing us and we had barely been fighting for a minute.

Nagase flew towards one of the three bridges, destroying a tank and SAM. I hate SAMs, and they hate me, so I guess I could've said the feeling is mutual.

Grimm was flying and destroying the hangars and not so important targets (meaning they couldn't kill us… unless we crashed into them), but they meant so much to the enemy and there were so many that he had his hands full.

"Enemy fighters, appearing on radar. Keep alert," Blaze cautioned.

"This is the sky that will determine our fate," I mused.

"We've got to win this battle and bring back peace!" Nagase exclaimed, joining me as I trailed two enemy fighters that were trailing Blaze. She knew they were there but Blaze kept on flying her usual paths, and by usual, I mean completely lunatic, demented flying paths. It was hell trying to keep up with her and soon, the enemy got fed up and went after our new allies. They tried to, I should say; Nagase and I shot them down before they could.

We started picking up President Harling and Prime Minister Nikanor's speech. "As the commander-in-chief of the Osean Army, I hereby order all units to lower their weapons and cease fighting," Harling commanded, sounding powerful and intimidating; you were nuts if you didn't listen.

I flew low to the ground and fired my guns at a crane, destroyed it, and then fired at a storage facility.

"Don't worry about the Yuke fighters! Get the Wardog ghosts. Follow me! We're going to put an end to this war once and for all!" A guy's voice shouted menacingly.

"Whoa, Hamilton's here, too," Grimm said.

"Be careful. He was trained by the Grabacr aggressors," Nagase warned.

"Wow… did that bastard actually listen to me?" Blaze wondered aloud, sounding strangely droll.

"I would say don't taunt him but I know you won't listen," Nagase commented.

"How right you are," Blaze agreed as she destroyed the last AA gun in the area. There were still one or two SAMs left but I took care of one and Grimm took care of the other. In the minimal conversation we did have on the way here, we had decided to just destroy everything on sight. We weren't going to risk not destroying something only to have it stab us in the back later.

"All right, there it is. Lock, load, and stand by," A friendly Yuke helicopter said. "The Razgriz suppressed the AA guns for us. We're landing!"

"The advancing Osean and Yuktobanian forces have gathered in the industrial sector. It seems that once again, this area is caught up in the flames of war…" A local newscaster said. I realized he was right; Sudentor had had a major battle in the Belkan War fifteen years ago, Operation Cannibal if I can recall correctly. The area had a nickname: Hoffnung. It meant 'hope,' but I couldn't help but think the people didn't have much hope lately.

"This is going to sound weird-" Blaze began.

"Coming from you, it won't," Nagase said with a laugh.

"Oi vey!" Blaze retorted. "Does anyone feel like they're in Dagobah from Star Wars?"

"It does kind of remind me of it, yeah," Grimm noted.

"I'm just waiting for Yoda to pop up as my RIO and tell me I'm a reckless young padawan," Blaze said with a laugh.

"He wouldn't be wrong," Grimm said.

"Hey!" Blaze protested.

"This is the 12th Infantry Battalion. We were preparing to launch into Yuktobania, but the President's words convinced us to change our battle mission. Now commencing attack on the enemy facility."

Next, the Osean leading the helicopters came on. "All First Fighter Wing units, listen up! There go the air assault choppers! We're going in too!"

"So, who wants to be shot down next?" Blaze inquired nonchalantly.

"Ah, just shoot down that lead plane and this will be all over!" A Yuke snarled.

Grimm snorted before saying, "They'll learn soon enough. Our ace can't be shot down"

"I really don't get how I'm an ace," Blaze said.

"Of course you don't. You're too modest to admit it," Nagase commented.

"I am not modest!" Blaze argued.

"Are too," Grimm, Nagase and I said simultaneously.

"I'm completely outnumbered here… it's not fair," Blaze grumbled.

"All's fair in love and war," Nagase quoted.

"Not when the Gray Men are involved," Blaze corrected.

"You have a point," I agreed.

"We can see AA weapons at the drop point. Air units, sweep up the area around the facility for us!" An Osean helicopter requested.

"Razgriz are on it," Blaze told them.

"Okay, we're leaving it to you. It looks like they were deployed recently. A lot more than we heard."

"Of course…" Blaze grumbled. "Apparently they had some hidden. So much for us having destroyed all the AA guns."

"You know if something is too easy, it's either wrong or something worse is coming," Grimm said.

"Don't remind me," Blaze retorted.

"Ground forces appear to have entered the urban area. Let's go to a reporter on the scene," A woman reporter said. I don't know why but a woman with a camera following her every move popped into my head.

"A fierce battle is taking place across the street from where I stand! Look out!" A man shouted. From the way he spoke and from his accent, I could tell he was Yuktobanian. It never ceased to amaze me how quickly reporters were able to get to a scene or how they had the most impeccable bad timing in history.

"They need to get those reporters out of harms' way," Blaze said warily.

"I know. It's not safe for them between the ground and air forces blowing up everything they can," I agreed.

"That nuke is ours, you dirty Osean vultures," A Yuke growled. He was definitely a warmonger…

"This is Osean territory now. We're not letting the Yukes have their way," An Osean fired back.

"The guys that allied with the villains are biting at each other. Look at 'em- like a bunch of dogs from hell," AWACS Oka Nieba observed with disgust.

"They're hell hounds," Grimm said, more to himself than to anyone in particular.

"… Gosh dang it, now you have me thinking of Supernatural… and how Dean was killed by hell hounds," Blaze groaned. "I hated that episode. I hated, hated, hated it! He didn't deserve to die! Of course, he did come back alive because he was raised by Castiel who is a freaking awesome angel," Blaze ranted.

"Sheesh Blaze, I know Dean didn't deserve it but-" Nagase began.

"Of course, Cas did go all psycho 'I'm-the-new-god' and told Dean and Sam if they disobeyed him, he'd kill them… and then he died… and then he came back to life, took on Sam's condition and randomly appeared naked on Dean's car covered in bees," Blaze interrupted. She was in her own little world. I couldn't help but start laughing at her nutty thoughts. Only Blaze could think of something like that in the middle of a battle.

"Are you done yet?" Nagase queried casually.

"For now," Blaze responded slyly.

"That worries me," Nagase muttered.

"It should," Blaze said reassuringly. I had the mental image of Nagase rolling her eyes.

I flew low to the ground, flying over tops of buildings and probably making equipment shake and fall of shelves from the vibrations of my engine noise. I aimed for a gun tower that was currently shooting at Nagase and fired two missiles. It damaged it severely and I finished the thing off with some gun fire.

Blaze had destroyed two of them I think, along with about five enemy planes (yes, you read that right), and another tank. Nagase was starting to take on the air defense while Grimm continued destroying the neutral targets.

"Dammit. Looks like we really did open up the gates of hell," Hamilton muttered. "How could we have come to this?" He paused, and then, "It's them… they've dragged us all into this- the Wardog ghosts, the Ghosts of Razgriz."

"The Ghosts of Razgriz…" A Yuke murmured.

"Yeah. Let's get 'em," A Yuke insisted.

"Get those bastards," A Yuke sneered.

"You cannot kill us if we are already 'dead,'" Grimm pointed out.

My Harry Potter obsession kicked in (I'll admit, I had an obsession with the series and I read each book five times) and I said, "Dumbledore from Harry Potter said something very similar to that," I commented.

"What did he say?" Grimm asked.

"He cannot kill you if you are already dead."

"You go Dumbledork!" Blaze exclaimed.

"Dumbledork? Really?" I asked with a laugh.

"Enough with the Supernatural references, Blaze," Nagase snapped jokingly.

"Never!"

"The ground force is being delayed by a defensive line of pillboxes. They need some close air support bombing!" Oka Nieba announced, and then as he realized that Hamilton had pretty much told every enemy fighter to try and kill us (emphasis on try), he added, "This is Oka Nieba. Listen up, everyone in the choir. The enemies are all going after Razgriz at once."

"We'll protect them," An Osean promised.

"We're with you," A Yuke assured.

"Thank you!" We all said, once more, at the same time.

"We're getting really good at that," Grimm noticed.

"No kidding. What is that, the third time it's happened this mission?" Blaze queried.

"I don't know but it's freaking awesome," Grimm declared. None of us disagreed so we kept on flying. An enemy plane showed up on radar and it was heading straight for Blaze.

"Blaze, you have an enemy fighter making a beeline for you!" I admonished.

"Oh, hey Hamilton. Glad you could join us," Blaze said happily.

"That's Hamilton?" Nagase inquired seriously.

"Yes, ma'am it is. I'm going to go take care of him. Y'all take care of everything around here… I wonder if he can hear us… Hey, Hamilton, are you there?" There was no response. "Come on, Voldemort, I know you can hear us? Or would you prefer to be Bellatrix Lestrange? She's a psycho bitch witch, and pardon my language."

"Bitch witch? Really Blaze?" I laughed.

"Well if I had said 'she's a witch with a 'B' and an actually witch,' then it wouldn't be so catchy. And Bellatrix really is a bitch… again pardon my language," Blaze countered.

"No argument there."

"So, come out Bellatrix, wherever you are!" Blaze taunted. "I hope you know, just like her, you're going to crash and burn and you're going to be killed by a woman, except where she was killed by an awesome ginger, you'll be shot down by a psychotic blonde. I think you would rather have Mrs. Weasley get you…"

"Do you ever shut up?!" Hamilton demanded.

"Ah, there you are. I knew if I kept talking you'd get sick of it and jump in. So predictable… tsk tsk," Blaze scolded mockingly.

"You're mental," Hamilton growled.

"Who do you think caused that? I won't say any names but their initials start with Hamilton!" Blaze practically shouted.

"That makes no sense!" Hamilton stated, completely incensed.

"It wasn't supposed to idiot," Blaze retorted. "So how does it feel to have rookie pilots trick a mighty Belkan?"

"You never tricked me. I knew you were alive and that you wouldn't go that easily. Captain Snow, when this is over and my side wins, I will make sure you are tried for treason against your country," Hamilton declared.

"I dare you, Hamilton; I dare you," Blaze said calmly, and I think it was her calmness that gave the threat its seriousness and intimidation.

"Damn Wardog ghosts. I'm not through yet!" Hamilton declared.

"Oh shut up you warmonger," Blaze snapped.

"What are you doing here, Wardog? You traitors!" Hamilton roared.

"Captain Chopper said that we can trust our lead no matter what happens," Grimm said defiantly. "The advice has done us well and we're sticking to it so pull the stick out of your pompous top brass rear, admit your side is going to lose, and get the hell out of here before Blaze shoots your ass down because trust me, she will."

Blaze whistled. "You go, Grimm!"

"I have no idea where that came from," Grimm admitted, somewhat bashfully. "I just kind of went on a tirade there."

"I found it awesome," I said. Grimm said thank you.

"Razgriz! Wardog! This is all your fault!" Hamilton declared heatedly.

"Again, I say shut up you warmonger," Blaze retorted. I found Hamilton on my radar and started to trail him. Right as I was about to get a missile lock on him, a plane came perpendicular from us, fired two missiles, and went up to engage another aircraft.

"Heads up," Blaze told Hamilton and just a few seconds later, he disappeared off my radar.

"Was that Blaze?!" Nagase demanded in amazement.

"Amazing! It's just… I can't even describe it. Just unbelievable!" Grimm said, barely being able to put a sentence together.

"She's the one, no doubt. The ace of aces!" I claimed as I realized it had been Blaze that had took the amazing shot.

"How did you do it?" Nagase asked, her curiosity prominent in her voice.

"I just simply shot the annoying bastard down. No one threatens my wingmen and gets away with it. Besides, that conversation was going nowhere," Blaze said nonchalantly.

"Wow Blaze… just wow," Nagase said blatantly. Only Blaze could make such an amazing feat sound so simple because she blames it on the "conversation that was going nowhere."

At that moment, a flash of light to the north exploded and lasted for about thirty seconds before dissipating. It was blinding in the dark sky.

"Air attack! It's not from a plane!"An Osean shouted.

"The SOLG is attacking," Oka Nieba announced grimly.

"A satellite?! How can it attack from up there?" A friendly Yuke questioned.

"Our reinforcement has been cut off by the SOLG's attacks! Is the control facility destroyed?" An Osean asked suddenly.

"I wish," Blaze answered. "It would make our job so much easier. The control facility is still fully functional."

"Seriously. What were you thinking suggesting we fly into the tunnel?" I inquired.

"Well I was thinking I was the only one that was going to be doing it, but that backfired."

"Big time," Grimm added.

"Thanks for reminding me," Blaze responded sarcastically. "Ah hell… someone get this dork away from the allies. I have an enemy plane to deal with."

"I'm on it," I said, heading over to where the tunnels were. Sure enough, there was an enemy fighter dive-bombing the allied helicopter squadron. Luckily there shots weren't hitting them. I took care of the enemy plane with a missile and gun fire. That had been way too easy.

Nagase and Grimm were taking care of the ground installments while I focused on the air defense and Blaze took on whatever she thought she needed to. She was all over the place and her plane being black and having rain pouring down, it was a wonder I was able to find her at all.

"Soldiers and officers on both sides, please emerge from your positions, and shake hands with your foreign comrades on the other side," Nikanor commanded, "… just as President Harling and I are doing right now.

"It's still unclear why they're being referred to as the 'Razgriz.' The Razgriz is a storybook character who is called both a demon and a hero…" A woman reporter said. Have you ever realized that reporters all have the same tone? I have and it drives me insane. Have some character people!

"According to sources close to the President, the 'Razgriz' consists of four…" An Osean guy began but the mic sizzled out and we never heard the rest of what he was going to say although it wasn't hard to figure out.

"One of the pilots is reportedly a female, but we haven't been able to confirm this yet…" the same woman added.

"It's two women, woman," Blaze corrected in annoyance.

There was a lot of chatter about the Razgriz story and it made me realize something…

"'The demon returns as a great hero…' Huh, maybe it's not a fairytale after all," I acknowledged.

"I'm not one for believing in all that mumbo jumbo but Snowman, I think you might be right," Blaze said.

"Thank you, Bandit, and might I say, you're the lead demon."

"Only because I'm captain, nothing else."

"Keep on thinking that," Nagase commented.

"I will," Blaze stated.

"Whatever floats your boat… or in your case, flies your plane," Grimm corrected. We all gave a chuckle.

"Razgriz… the legend's come true," A Yuke said in awe.

"Is it true that the Razgriz are really the guys from Sand Island?" Another Yuke asked.

"I would love to tell you but we're under orders from our President not to say," Blaze replied kindly.

"We've got the Razgriz on our side. Don't falter and go forward," A different Yuke directed. Dang… first they were our enemies and now they were acting as if we had always been on their side. Technically, we had. We had fought for both countries, and it was only now that they could actually see and believe it.

Soon, there were only a few enemy targets on my radar. From what I counted, there were nine ground enemies and about five air. That was an improvement from the thirty or forty something ground enemies and ten or fifteen air enemies.

"Okay, landing stations! We'll take the facility from the roof!" The Osean helicopter leader called out. A few seconds later, he said, "The 1st Airborne Battalion has captured the roof of the control facility."

"Look around us! Nothing but allies!" Grimm announced happily. "It's true. If we believe in ourselves, people will believe in us."

"Yeah, except for the warmongers," Blaze pointed out.

"Way to ruin the moment," Grimm grumbled.

"We're all heroes now… heroes for peace," Oka Nieba added. It was kind of a corny saying but it was true nonetheless.

Another explosion of light went off in the north, and even over the roar of my engine and the splattering of rain on my plane, I could clearly hear the explosion.

"Sheesh, it's like the Death Star explodes every other minute," Blaze observed.

"So you go from Supernatural to Stay Wars references? Incredible," Nagase said.

"Well if it's Supernatural you want, then I say it's like the time when Dean and Sam opened the gates of hell… well, actually they were trying to stop it. It was that sergeant dude or whatever that opened it."

"He was crazy strong… I wish I had strength like that. Then I could just punch Hamilton dead," Grimm admitted.

"I like your thinking Grimm," Blaze praised.

"Thank you, Captain!"

"You just love to drive me nuts with calling me that, don't you?" Blaze retorted.

"Yes… Yes I do."

"At least you're honest about it," she acknowledged.

Blaze destroyed the last five air enemies by herself; each was finished off in about a minute. Her skill scared me and this wasn't the first time I was glad she was on my side.

"Nice working with you. Your callsign?" An Osean asked cheerfully.

"Zenit One. We'll save the introductions for later. Let's finish the mission first," The Yuke replied affably.

"This is Viper One. I'll sit back and let the Yuke Air Force show their stuff."

"Roger, Viper One. Allow us to join you in flight for a while."

"This is incredible," I said. "The Yukes and Oseans are joining together."

"It shows how much influence a small group can have," Pops said. I don't know where he had been because he hadn't said much during the mission but he was Belkan, and Belkans were unpredictable in pretty much every aspect of their lives.

"Guess the President was right, huh? No sense in bickering with each other," An Osean confessed.

"I think this would've happened even without the President's speech," A Yuke said.

"We're gonna fight together, and we're gonna come home together. Don't you forget that!" A Yuke encouraged.

"And when we go home, the Razgriz will lead the way!" An Osean shouted.

"Whoa… how many people are we going to be escorting home?" Blaze joked.

"This is history in the making… and we're making it," Another Osean declared proudly as I destroyed two gun towers. The air defense was taken care of (thanks to Blaze), so all we had to worry about were the ground forces, and they were thin in numbers. It was thanks to Grimm because he had stuck to his task, even when he did get stalked a few times by enemy planes, but they were taken care of by either me, Blaze, or Nagase, although mainly Blaze. She was all over the place and took care of enemies before anyone else could get to them. Somehow, she still had plenty of ammo.

"Enemy position silenced. Charge!" The Osean helicopter leader shouted.

"All right, now! Let's go!" A Yuktobanian soldier insisted.

"This is the Osean 502nd Tactical Fighter Wing. We finally made it. We'd like to lend our support!"

"The more, the merrier!" Blaze chirped. "Welcome aboard!"

"We lost several planes to the SOLG. Sorry to keep you waiting," The guy apologized.

"I understand," Blaze answered softly right when another SOLG attack exploded, once more making the dark night seem like the middle of the afternoon. I was really starting to get sick of seeing it and hearing it. The explosion was too loud and too bright. Maybe that's why the Belkans were using it now, to disorient us. Well, if I wasn't so experienced (not trying to sound conceited), it would be working.

Nagase and I flew down and destroyed the last two pillboxes while Grimm and Blaze took care of the three remaining gun towers. When that was taken care of, we flew around in circles around the target area, waiting for more orders or something else to attack.

"This is the 112th Infantry Battalion. We've arrived at the entrance to the control facility.

A guy whistled and a familiar sounding voice, although I couldn't place it, said, "Man, that's a big tunnel."

"Hey, get off the mic!" another guy ordered. I heard a groan and then nothing.

"What was that about?" Blaze demanded.

"I don't know… but it didn't sound good," Nagase said grimly.

I glanced at the tunnel and the guy hadn't been kidding. The tunnel opening itself would allow the four of us to enter it with our planes right above each other. I was glad the tunnel was so big but that meant that they could fit machinery in it and that machinery could be blocking parts of the tunnel. My heart start thumping in my chest as all the grizzly possibilities flew through my head.

"All right, we're opening the tunnel entrance!"

"Razgriz, regroup and get into cover formation," Blaze directed. We followed orders immediately and we headed south, away from the tunnels. My guess was Blaze was giving us enough distance to line up perfectly with the tunnel we were going to be entering. I was right.

**MISSION UPDATE**

While we turned around and flew to the tunnel, the briefer on the Andromeda came on and gave us the explanation on our impending mission. "We've come across a blueprint of the tunnel facility on the 'Major's' disc. The SOLG control system is in the deepest part of the tunnel. We can't touch it from the entrance. Fly into the tunnel, attack the control system in the deepest part of the complex and escape out the tunnel exit on the opposite side. This is extremely dangerous, but there's no other way to do this. There are two central components to the control system. You must destroy them both, but you can only destroy one of them per attack run. Furthermore, the ground forces will not be able to keep the entrance shutters open for very long. There's not enough time for you to go back into the tunnel again after the first run. So, a separate plane will have to go in from the other side at the same time. We have only one chance. Synchronize your run with the second plane to attack both components simultaneously and destroy the SOLG control system."

"How lovely…" Blaze mumbled.

"Ground forces from both armies are advancing together! A scene unimaginable just a while ago!" The Osean woman reporter stated, in her annoying 'I'm-a-reporter-voice.' Sorry, it just really bugs me how almost all reporters sound the exact same way when they are reporting something. They also have this unusual ability to change subjects quickly…

I have issues…

"We've confirmed the opening of the tunnel as well. Are you ready?" Oka Nieba asked sternly, but not unkindly.

"Razgriz are ready to rock n' roll… kind of…" Blaze replied.

"The soldiers in town are all cheering the 'Razgriz' in unison," the local newscaster guy said. Were they really? I felt honored that they were cheering for my squadron. I never thought that would happen. I would have to thank Blaze when I got a chance, you know, when we weren't about to fly through a tunnel and destroy a control facility and try and get out of there alive, but that's just a typical day being in Blaze's squadron. We get assigned the crazy missions because let's face it, none of us are quite sane.

"You can see the soldiers waving to us," the Osean woman said thoughtfully.

"Explosions are echoing throughout the city, shattering the calm of the night…" the local guy announced. My question right then was: how is this night calm? You have fighter jets soaring around everywhere blowing up air and ground defenses, you have helicopters whirring about, and you have a massive thunderstorm going on. How the hell is that a calm night?

"Anyone else thinking that guy is off his rocker for saying it's a calm night?" Blaze asked innocently.

"I was seriously just thinking that," I said.

"Well, we're awesome like that and we all share some sort of telepathy thing with each other," Blaze explained in a matter-o-fact voice.

"I never thought I'd be flying with the Razgriz," A Yuke admitted.

"I never was superstitious…," An Osean guy claimed. "But I think this time, I'll believe."

"Wow, you got everyone fired up and believing in miracles, Razgriz," a familiar voice complimented, sounding somewhat sarcastic but genuine at the same time.

"Pixy?!" Blaze sounded incredulous. "You said that to Cipher one time, when you two were pulling out Tauberg's sword!"

"I think you and your squadron deserve it as well because it's true in your case too," Pixy replied.

"Hey, Elizabeth!" Another voice came on.

"… Uncle Jason?" Blaze asked; whereas with Pixy she had seemed shocked, with her uncle, she seemed lost for words.

"You're doing great! Keep it up! I'll see you soon," her uncle assured.

"Uh, yeah, okay," Blaze answered, still trying to gather her wits. Pixy and Jason cut off. It was sort of a random radio transmission but it had clearly shocked Blaze, an impressive feat.

"So that was your Uncle Jason?" Nagase inquired.

"Yeah… um, I didn't know he was with Pixy," Blaze responded quietly.

"What's wrong?" Nagase asked kindly.

"Nothing, it's just I haven't heard from him in a while." Blaze didn't say anything after that and none of us prodded her for information.

"Reporting from Osea, this is Mikhail Zirov, Soyuz Broadcast News," A Yuke reporter stated. "Following the military, the news media here will join forces with Osea to…"

The reporter was cut off when a friendly Yuke fighter said, "I feel like we've been relying on them all through this war."

"Us?" Nagase queried.

"Yeah, we might have fought on different sides of the war at first and I'll admit, I hated you guys at first, but now that I have finally seen what you were fighting for, I realize that a lot of us, whether we've known it or not, have been relying on you."

"Well, thank you. But we wouldn't have been able to pull off what we just did tonight if you and your teammates hadn't joined us. So you're playing a part in this too, don't forget that."

"We won't. Good luck, Razgriz."

"Razgriz, get ready," admonished Blaze. "We're going in."

I hadn't realized how close we were to the tunnel until I could actually see the entire inside of it. It was a massive tunnel but that didn't mean it was going to be easy to fly through.

"Be careful that none of you fly into anyone's jet wash. Fly a little above each other," Blaze ordered. We listened, having full faith in her judgment.

Blaze flew in first, followed by Nagase, then me, and finally Grimm. The moment I flew into the tunnel, the thunderous sound of rain hitting my plane stopped and aside from our engines, the air was eerily silent compared to earlier.

"We'll just have to stay glued to the Captain," Nagase declared, sounding nervous. The tunnel was a lot smaller when you had four planes taking up the space in it. I took a chance to zoom out on my radar and saw another plane, a friendly one, flying in at the other end of the tunnel.

"A separate plane going in from the other side? How many pilots have we got that can even do something like that?" I demanded in incredulity as the tunnel sloped downwards. We followed it precisely. Blaze was barely making it through the tunnel because since she was first, she was the first one to go under the shutters and they were barely open when she flew under them.

"I know one…" Nagase replied proudly.

I nearly grazed the ceiling and immediately and dipped my plane lower and tried to calm my pounding heart. "Don't try anything risky! Fly straight ahead! Stray off course, and we're done for."

"No kidding," Blaze said with a snort. We flew into a room and shifted right to head into another part of the tunnel. I don't know what that room was for but I knew it wasn't the control room.

"Enemy plane flying in from the rear! It's Hamilton. Damn, he is good," Grimm grumbled. We flew down another slope before leveling off. It wasn't natural for planes to be flying underground. They're supposed to fly freely in the air… just saying.

"I feel like Luke Skywalker with the tunnel being the canyon like thing he flies through on the Death Star and Hamilton is Vader trying to kill us," Blaze mused.

"Oh Blaze…" Nagase laughed. We flew into a another room, almost identical to the first one we flew through, but instead of going right, we shifted left and continued on through the tunnel.

"You aren't getting away, Wardog! You're going to fly straight to your deaths!" Hamilton sneered.

"Shut up, Vader," Blaze retorted. "And what the hell are you doing here? I shot your annoying ass down."

"It's called having a backup plane," Hamilton replied spitefully.

"So you knew you were going to be shot down? You really need to work on your confidence," Blaze said with mock worry.

"This is Heartbreak One. I'm right in front of you guys, Kid," Bartlett informed as we flew down yet another slope. How far underground were we going? The tunnel twisted to the left, then to the right, and then it straightened out before sloping down (yet again).

"Roger that Captain," Blaze said. So that's who Nagase had been talking about…

"You're alive, Bartlett?" Hamilton actually sounded somewhat shocked.

"You know, you've always been too damn serious, Hamilton," Bartlett observed gruffly.

"I'm going to take the Belkan nuke and terrify both sides into ending this foolish war. Don't get in my way!" Hamilton roared, making me cringe at how loud he was.

"The problem with you is that you can't tell the difference between friend and foe. Terror is not your friend," Bartlett pointed out angrily.

We flew through the tunnel at a faster pace as we realized Hamilton was gaining on us. We flew through another room and we had to fly low because there was a hanging light on the ceiling, unlike the previous two rooms.

When we reentered the tunnel, a hit appeared on my radar, and it was straight ahead of us.

"You only have one chance to attack. I know you can do it, Captain," Nagase encouraged.

"Thank you, Nagase; if I can't, y'all have to finish it off for me."

"You can count on us," I said reassuringly. I thought I heard her sigh in relief but I couldn't be sure. Within a few seconds after that statement and after narrowly avoiding crashing into a crane on the side of the tunnel, the control system came into view and Blaze fired two missiles at it. They hit it right in the center and it gave a small explosion.

"Target neutralized!" Nagase announced.

My plane started to shake, or at least I thought it was my plane. It turned out to be the tunnel. Apparently, Blaze had destroyed the control system along with all of the things hooked up to it and those were in the rooms ahead of us. Unfortunately, that meant that the shutters were going to be closing on the end we had to go through to escape. This was going to be tough. We flew into the tunnel once more and thankfully it was pretty straight and we hit our afterburners, wanting to get out of that tunnel and also away from Hamilton who had been gaining on us.

"This is Heartbreak One! I destroyed the system core on my end," Bartlett notified.

"This is Blaze. We destroyed ours as well."

"This is Archer. Captain Bartlett is approaching at high speed from our twelve o'clock! Is he going to…" Grimm trailed off.

"… We gotta do it," Nagase declared.

"Razgriz, get behind me and make sure he can fly past us," Blaze ordered. This was so insane it was almost funny.

"I'll be passing you by head-on at full speed, all right? Break right on the count of three," said Bartlett.

His plane appeared on my radar; like us, he was going wickedly fast. He began counting down. "Okay… one, two, three!"

He shot past us, making my plane shudder a little bit.

"Yaaaahooo!" Bartlett shouted like a banshee.

"Great balls of fire!" Blaze exclaimed. "Come on Jedis. Let's get the hell out of here!"

"No arguments there!" Grimm agreed wholeheartedly as we flew into a room, shifted left, and entered the tunnel once more. I realized the shutters were starting go down. This was going to be a close call.

"The shutters are closing!" Nagase cried.

"We gotta hurry, we'll be trapped inside!" Grimm pointed out anxiously. I had to say, I've been in a lot of bad situations, but this one was by far the worst one yet.

We flew up as the tunnel sloped upwards. I calculated that we had flown down three slopes coming into the center of the tunnel so if this tunnel was identical on each end, then we had two more slopes to go. Hopefully the shutters would stay open long enough for us to get out of here…

Targets appeared on my radar and it suddenly dawned on me…

"The enemy planes that came in after Bartlett are still in the tunnel," I announced sullenly.

"Enemy planes dead ahead! We're being attacked from both sides!" Grimm shouted as we flew into a room and then back into the tunnel. Hamilton was dangerously close to us.

"Ah hell… hang on, is Hamilton still behind us?" Blaze inquired curiously.

"Yeah, and he's gaining on us quickly. He'll be within shooting distance soon," I told her dismally. An enemy plane came head on and Blaze fired at it. The plane exploded and it ricocheted off the walls behind us.

"My threat warning alarms won't stop ringing! This is just insane, from start to finish!" Grimm stated grumpily.

"You didn't have to come you know," Blaze said.

"And let you have all this psychotic, insane fun? Never in a million years," declared Grimm.

We flew up another slope… one more to go. Another room we flew through before entering the tunnel and going up another slope. The tunnel lights dimmed as we reached the top of the slope. That's when I realized it was the end of the tunnel. We had all made it! Blaze shot out of the tunnel, followed by Nagase, then me, and then Grimm. We shot up vertically into the sky, wanting to put as much distance between us and that tunnel and to be in the open, free sky again.

Fire exploded out of the tunnel just barely a second after Grimm exited it.

**MISSION ACCOMPLISHED**

"Where's Hamilton?" Nagase asked as we leveled out and headed back to Sudentor.

"He's dead. Hit by a ricocheting plane," Grimm replied, his voice shaking. Clearly, he was dazed by his narrow escape from being killed in the tunnel, especially being so close to that explosion.

"Serves the bastard right," Blaze growled.

"Blaze, that plane you sent ricocheting off the walls by shooting at it…" I trailed off.

"That's the one that hit Hamilton," Blaze confirmed quietly. "It was a gamble on my part. I didn't know if it would work, but I took the chance. Luck was on our side today. Great job, all of you… and thank you for going with me. I'm glad I didn't do that alone," Blaze admitted.

"We're your wingmen. We will never let you do stupid stuff… alone," Grimm said firmly. Blaze gave a laugh and we headed back to Sudentor, knowing our final mission was coming up.

* * *

**Okay, I even surprised myself with Blaze and Genette's fight. I was completely not planning on writing that… it just kind of came to me. Anyways, one last chapter before the fighting is over :( it's kind of sad… but don't worry, I'm continuing on with the story because I don't know about y'all but I always wanted to know what happened afterwards. **

**This chapter was literally painful to write because earlier, I lifted up my cat to put him on my bed and he went ninja on me and slashed my chin, arm, and pinky and the scratch on my arm is conveniently placed that so whenever I type, it hurts haha… only me. Anyways, please review!**


	32. The Unsung War

**... Oh my god. It's the final battle. It's incredible. Please enjoy! :)**

**Quote of the Chapter:  
**"**Never was so much owed by so many to so few."  
****~Sir Winston Churchill**

* * *

Chapter 32: The Unsung War

**December 31, 2010, 0130 hours…**

**Blaze**

While we neared Oured, Pops came on, asking us if we needed anything when we landed. The four of us immediately started naming things and he had to stop us because he couldn't understand a word we were saying. I think at one point Grimm might have said he wanted Megan Fox…

"One at a time," Pops ordered with a chuckle. "Blaze, you first."

"Blankets, pillows, and a bathroom. I need to pee like a plane going Mach Two… and then sleep because I cannot believe I just said that out loud," I muttered.

Everyone started laughing and then Nagase said she wanted food, water, and a toilet. Grimm said he wanted Cassie, food, and once again, a toilet. Snow's request consisted of only a toilet. It was quickly decided that they were going to need a lot of port-a-potties. I tried to convince them to get me a pink one but Pops told me they didn't exist. Dang it…

We were ordered to land on Erasmus Bridge. It was an architectural pride in Oured. It was pretty cool but landing without hitting those cables was a pain, or at least when you're almost a literal version of a walking zombie. When all four of us were landed, people immediately went to our planes and started doing maintenance and restocking our weapons. Pops, Genette, Cassie, Andersen, and Geller were there waiting for us but when Nagase and I screamed, it wasn't because they were there. It was because we saw four port-a-potties… my scream was louder because believe it or not, there was a pink one. Nagase and I looked at each other before bolting to it. Thank God I reached it first! I laughed evilly as I heard her curse at her slowness. I knew Nagase was tired if she was cussing since she never cussed.

When I walked out, Genette was grinning at me; he looked beyond tired but happy nonetheless to see me. I charged him and he swung me up in a hug. I don't think I had ever been so happy to see my brother. Of course, I winced at the sight of the bruise on his cheek but I don't think he saw.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Surprisingly, yes. Flying through that tunnel wasn't so bad," I admitted. "I was expecting it to be a lot worse, a lot smaller."

Genette snorted. "You're psychotic."

"I know," I chirped. He rolled his eyes.

"We got some blankets and pillows. We went to the president's house to get them. They gave us practically all available blankets and sheets. Unfortunately we couldn't get cots but we layered the sheets on top of each other and I got to say, it's really comfy. You'll have to share it with Nagase, Snow, Grimm, Cassie, and me. Cassie and I haven't slept since y'all left."

"Let's go get some sleep then," I said; I gave Pops, Geller, and Andersen a hug before my brother and I walked over to the makeshift bed; Cassie was already there, cuddling with a pillow.

"Hey, Blaze," she mumbled.

"Hey, Cas," I replied, crawling in next to her. I plopped down in exhaustion. I fell asleep almost immediately, only semi-waking up to feel Nagase and Snow and Grimm getting into the makeshift bed. After that, I was asleep.

* * *

**Pops**

Blaze, Grimm, Genette, Snow, Nagase, and Cassie were all sacked out on the makeshift bed. Blaze was in the dead center and it seemed like everyone gravitated towards her. She was on her stomach and had her hands under the pillow she was using. Cassie was right next to her, using the dip in Blaze's back as a pillow. Nagase and Genette were on her other side, sharing Blaze's shoulder as a pillow. Grimm was using Blaze's other shoulder as a pillow and has his arm stretched protectively across Cassie's waist. Snow was next to Nagase, sharing Blaze's back with Cassie as a pillow. I knew if Genette was awake, he would've taken a picture so I reached over for his camera but it was gone. Looking up, I saw Geller had it and was already taking the picture. He smiled sheepishly at me before placing the camera back down.

"Are you Pops?" A guy shouted. I turned around to see two guys walking towards me. They were tall, both in jeans, white tees, and leather aviator jackets. They were the same height, and I recognized one of them but not the other. The other was lean but muscular, he had blonde hair, and at first, I thought he had green eyes, but when he reached me, his eyes were brown. My guess is, like Blaze, he had hazel eyes that changed depending on the light. The other guy I knew and I gave him a smile.

"Pixy," I said with a smile.

"Hey, Pops," he answered calmly. His voice reminded me too much of me when I was younger, when I was more Belkan than Osean, when I had that carefully controlled tone in my voice. I still had it usually. Rarely did I let my tone get out of control.

"Who's your friend?" I asked, turning to the blonde guy. His hair wasn't platinum blonde like Cassie's; it was darker, a mix between blonde and brown, and it looked completely natural too.

"Hello, sir," the blonde guy greeted respectfully, although there was a slight mischief that reminded me of Chopper.

"What's your name?" I queried; the more the guy talked, the more he sounded familiar.

He hesitated and Pixy assured, "If Blaze trusts him, you can trust him."

The guy still hesitated before answering. "I'm Jason Banks."

I knew immediately who he was- of course he was Blaze's uncle, the infamous Jason Banks that told her so many secrets of the Belkan War that only a selected few knew. However, that didn't explain the reason why I thought he sounded familiar.

"Were you in the Belkan War?" I prodded.

"Yes, sir," Jason replied.

"What was your call sign?" I was determined to figure out who he truly was.

"Cipher."

Well, no wonder I knew him. He pretty much saved my life before Grabacr shot me down over B7R, also called the Round Table. Ironically, the day he saved my life was the day that I got shot down along with Bartlett.

"I knew you seemed familiar. You saved my life fifteen years ago," I told him.

"I did? What was your callsign? Because I don't remember saving anyone by the name of Pops."

"I was called Huckebein the Raven, The Colonel, and others," I informed.

"Oh! I remember you! You asked me to help you!" Jason exclaimed, a goofy grin spreading on his face. "God, I'm not even forty and I'm already having memory issues."

"You sound just like Blaze," I noted.

"Where is she?" He suddenly demanded, looking around. His eyes rested on the makeshift bed with everyone asleep on it. "How is she?"

"Besides a minor skirmish with Genette on the Kestrel, not too bad. Chopper's death really messed her up; it's one of the worst cases I've seen," I said grimly.

"What happened on the Kestrel?" Cipher asked, his voice deceptively calm.

"She was the one that suggested flying through the tunnel; all of us were against it, and Genette… he, uh, inferred in his argument that she was going to destroy the control panel by crashing into it so she could join Chopper. Blaze slapped him hard. He left the room and she went after him. They must've worked it out because they're fine now."

"I can't believe he said that," Jason said.

"He didn't say it outright but anyone could figure out what he truly meant," I corrected. We stood there, just watching the six of them sleep. For the first time in a long time, they all looked peaceful, stress-free, particularly Blaze.

"So what are they up against?" Pixy inquired, turning to face me.

"The SOLG. I'm assuming you've heard of it?" I looked at them expectantly.

"It was an unfinished project by Osea, a defense weapon capable of launching nuclear weapons from high altitude at any location of its orbit," Pixy responded immediately. It didn't surprise me he knew about it. Jason, on the other hand, looked troubled.

"I thought it was scrapped though. How did the Belkans get a hold of it?"

"North Osea Gründer Industries got a hold of it, and they finished it off by getting supplies secretly from the Basset Space Center. This is going to be no picnic for them."

"I have faith in them," Pixy stated firmly. "I've seen the way they fly. They can do it." With a grin, he looked at Jason and said, "I think Blaze could give you a run for your money, buddy."

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" Jason countered with a smirk.

"She's more kamikaze than you," Pixy retorted.

"I'm not sure if that's a good thing," Jason joked. I looked at my watch and saw it was two-thirty in the morning. We still had three hours before the Razgriz would have to get up and get ready.

"What are you two going to do while we wait?" I questioned.

"Whatever you want us to do. We're here to help, sir," Jason replied.

"Well, there's not much to do here. Everything is being taken care of…"

"Then we'll just stand here and chat until we are needed," Pixy said. I nodded and walked over to Andersen and Geller and we started working on the briefing.

* * *

**Blaze**

I woke up to Genette shaking me awake. When I opened my eyes, I involuntarily cringed at the sight of a very distinct handprint-shaped bruise on his face.

"I'm fine, Blaze," he reassured, seeing my expression.

"That doesn't make me feel any less horrible," I mumbled.

"I know, but a brother can try, right?" He winked at me.

"It's not natural to be so cheerful in the morning," I pointed out.

"Non-normalcy seems to run in the family. Speaking of family, there's someone here who I think you would love to see. Come on," Genette urged, grabbing my hand and pulling me up. I groaned but followed. I was expecting to see maybe a distant cousin or someone we considered family. I was _not_ expecting to Uncle Jason standing near the side of the bridge talking to Pixy. I'm pretty sure my mouth dropped open and my eyes went the size of dinner plates before my uncle turned to look at me. Pixy followed his line of gaze and grinned. My feet moved towards him on their own accord. Uncle Jason gave me a bone-breaking hug which I willingly returned.

"How you doing, Elizabeth?" He whispered.

"Good," I replied. We broke off the hug and Jason turned to Genette.

"You been taking care of you sister?" Uncles Jason inquired.

"It's more like she's been taking care of me," Genette replied lightheartedly.

"No I haven't," I protested.

"Have to," Genette retorted.

"Have not!" I argued.

"Have to!"

"Have not!"

"Have to!"

"Have not!"

"You two haven't changed one bit." Jason laughed as my brother and I glared at each other.

"Blaze! Briefing is about to begin!" Nagase shouted. I hurried over to her with Genette and Jason at my heels. Pops nodded in respectful acknowledgement to Uncle Jason. The screen for the briefing was smaller than I was used to, but it was big enough for me to distinguish what I had to do thank God.

A briefer's voice spoke up and I saw the guy from the Kestrel, the one that _always_ gave the briefings. "The SOLG's descent was detected by our radar at 0045 hours. We believe it was programmed to automatically descend if control was ever cut off from the surface. We have calculated the SOLG's course of descent from its previous orbit. Its estimated landing point is downtown Oured, the capital of Osea. Get to the SOLG's descent point as quickly as possible and destroy it before it hits Oured. You must complete the mission, and come back alive. Anything less in not acceptable. Razgriz, we wish you the best of luck."

Operation: Arcadia

Location: Oured

Date: 2010/12/31

Time: 0600 HRS

I looked up at the briefer, catching his eye. He shockingly gave me a smile.

"You _can_ smile!" I exclaimed. He smiled a little more before saying "My name is Franklin Baelz, and I'm a first lieutenant. You know, many pilots have been hailed as aces; only a few have truly earned it. And no matter what anyone says, your squadron, both Wardog and Razgriz, are true aces. Don't forget that."

I was put into a stunned silence. This guy had never spoken a word to me the whole time I was on the Kestrel and now he's giving me a speech about how my squadrons and I are aces? What the hell is going on here? So, instead of asking him all that, I simply and sincerely said, "Thank you."

We dispersed and I headed over to the concrete barrier and sat on it, my legs dangling over the edge of the bridge. Heights like this usually scared me but for some reason, today it didn't. Maybe it was because I was holding on to a cable wire and there was absolutely no wind to blast me off. Maybe it was the fact that I knew I was going to be facing something much more deadly than sitting on the edge of a bridge.

We were launching in ten minutes, and I was ready to go, ready to end this stupid war.

"Blaze?" Uncle Jason inquired, coming to stand next to me. He sat next to me on the bridge. For some reason, out of all my family, I got along with Uncle Jason the most. He seemed to understand me when others couldn't. In all honesty, he reminded me so much of Chopper is was scary, because Chopper had been the same way.

"Hey, Cipher," I replied with a smile.

"How are you doing?" he asked, looking out of the horizon. It was slowly turning that periwinkle blue, a mix of dark and light.

"I'm doing well," I told him.

"Don't lie to me," he ordered kindly. "I know when something is wrong with you. Now what is it?"

"It's not that anything is wrong necessarily… I'm just thinking," I said hesitantly.

"About what?" Cipher prodded. I have never in my life been able to hide anything from him, no matter what it was.

"About Grabacr and Ofnir. I want to meet them in battle, I want to fight them, I want to shoot them down, and I want them to be brought to justice. I don't want to kill them though, because I know they'd rather die than be caught," I suddenly ranted in a surprisingly calm voice.

Cipher was quiet before saying, "What else is on your mind?"

"They're coming."

"Who?"

"Grabacr and Ofnir. I don't know why but I know they're coming to meet me in battle on the way to the SOLG. The SOLG is their last chance to weaken Osea enough to take us over, destroy us, plot world domination, whatever the hell they want to do with us. The Gray Men are going to do everything they can to protect it."

"Are you ready for them?"

I didn't falter or waver in my answer. "Yes, and they better be damn ready for me."

Uncle Jason looked at me with his eyebrows raised. "If I didn't hate them so much, I would feel bad for them. You're forgetting one thing though…"

"I am?" I questioned confusedly.

"Chopper."

I swallowed. "What about him?"

"It's not hard to see how upset you are."

"I know it's been a month since he died and I know our engagement was kind of a whirlwind courtship, but he wasn't just my fiancé, he was my best friend and my wingman. He was family before he even asked me to marry him. It should've been me that crashed, not him. It's getting the crew back alive; that's always what I've believed."

"Let me see the ring," Uncle Jason said. I lifted my hand, still not looking at him, although I did look at the ring. It shone in the little light there was. "It's beautiful."

"Thank you. I remember when he asked me, I fell out of the hammock."

"He asked you in a hammock?" he laughed. "Sounds like something I would do."

"Oh my God, he was just like you. Mannerisms and everything, although I think he shot his mouth off to the superiors more than you… and I think he pissed them off more, too."

"Yeah, I never really shot my mouth off or pissed off superiors unless they really, really pissed me off. Did he change from when he was in high school?"

"Besides getting handsomer, funnier, and becoming more responsible, not really." Cipher laughed good-naturedly.

"Well, I think it's time for you to go," he said, glancing at my squadron members starting to get ready to get in their planes. We hopped off the barrier and walked over to my plane, still the F-22A Raptor from the last mission. I stared at the four planes, lined up one behind the other. My plane was first, followed by Nagase's, Snow's, and then Grimm's. Genette had his video camera on while Geller had Genette's camera.

"Stand by your planes!" Geller yelled. I looked at him curiously, so did everyone else, but we listened. "Now look at me!" We did as ordered and he snapped a picture. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. I've always wanted to take a picture like that."

I chuckled and said, "As long as I look semi-decent in the picture that's fine."

"Blaze, since when do you ever look bad?" Nagase queried. I gave her a raised eyebrow and she added hastily, "Never mind."

She gave Genette a kiss before she got in her plane. Grimm gave Cassie a kiss before getting in his plane and Snow simply gave a casual, two-fingered salute to everyone on ground which they returned. I grabbed my helmet and before getting in my plane, I looked up at the lightening sky. I didn't pray often, but when I did, it was usually to someone who wasn't with me.

_Chopper, if you're listening to me right now, please watch over us. Please make sure none of us are killed. I don't plan on dying anytime soon, even though it would mean I would be with you, but I know you would be so incredibly pissed if I did that to my family and friends. I'll be with you one day, but just make sure that's not today. I love you and I always will._

The sound of a camera snapping a picture brought me out of my reverie. Genette now had his camera and he was looking at me with a slight smile. He came over to me and gave me a hug, followed by Geller, Pixy, Pops, Andersen, and finally, Uncle Jason.

"You'll do just fine," Uncle Jason whispered. I could only nod. With a wink, he went over and joined the group watching us leave. Giving them a confident smile, I got in my plane and turned on the engine. The roar of it soothed my nerves. I was going to be all right, I could feel it.

"Your final sortie… it's almost kinda sad, huh?" The controller said wistfully. In a way, I understood what he meant. Once this war was over, I had no clue what I wanted to do. I did know I didn't want to fight anymore, but I wanted to fly. It's where I belonged. "All right, launch preparations complete."

After signaling the crew that I was ready for takeoff, I hit my afterburners and shot forward on the bridge's highway. My speed climbed higher and higher. I reached about one hundred fifty miles an hour before lifting my plane up, going completely vertical. Nagase, Snow, and Grimm were quick to follow. We had only five minutes to get to where the SOLG would reach orbit altitude, meaning we had to book it faster than a Belkan after land.

"This is Oka Nieba. Hurry to the target area," he ordered. I was glad Sky Eye was our AWACS and not Thunderhead because Sky Eye was pretty good about not stating the obvious. Of course, I had only known him for one mission, and that's hardly any time to get to know someone. "The later you get there, the less time you'll have to attack the SOLG."

I do believe I spoke too soon…

"The SOLG will descend to a vulnerable altitude in five minutes," Sky Eye informed. Yeah, I definitely spoke too soon…

"The SOLG is falling!" Grimm exclaimed and I imagined him pointing at the far off target area.

"We have to get to the SOLG, fast!" Nagase added.

"Thank you Captain Obviouses," I said sarcastically. With a dramatic sigh and a sweet-sounding Southern accent, I added, "Oh my, whatever should we do now?"

"Captain!" Grimm said hopefully.

"Blaze!" Snow jumped in.

"Blaze!" Nagase joined. I didn't need them to tell me anything; I knew what they wanted. That's why I loved my squadron. We could say one word and know exactly what the other wanted, even if that one word barely went hand-in-hand with what their actual meaning was. We were just that awesome!

"Engage!" I commanded.

"Roger! Archer, engaging!" Grimm shouted, masking his cheerfulness.

"Roger. Swordsman, engaging!"

"Roger. Edge, engaging," Nagase replied, not bothering to hide her excitement. The sky was getting lighter and I took a brief minute to take in the beauty of everything from up here. On the ground it's really pretty, but up here? There's no comparison. It is absolutely breathtaking.

"Four minutes," Sky Eye warned, completely crushing my moment. That happens a lot.

"Well hell," I heard Nagase grumble.

"Oi! Woman! That is _my_ line!" I snapped lightly.

"It's catchy," she retorted.

"Hey, Blaze!" A gruff but friendly voice greeted me over the mic. "Kick some ass out there, okay?"

"Yes, Captain Bartlett!" I replied. In a more casual tone, I said, "When all this is over, you're taking Nastasya on a real date with real food without guns and without people trying to kill you, okay?"

"Sheesh, you're as bad as Cassie. She told me almost the same thing," Bartlett retorted.

"Great minds think alike, and I'm not trying to sound conceited when I say that."

"You could save the world single-handedly and still say you had help, even if it was by a snail. Brag about yourself once in a while, Blaze, to maintain a healthy level of sanity."

"Like you?"

"You catch on quickly." Bartlett chuckled.

"These fighters are definitely the Razgriz," a voice sneered. My attention was instantly caught, my warning alarms in my head going off like crazy.

"Blaze!" Nagase exclaimed worriedly; it was as if she sensed my sudden change in attitude.

"Kick ass, Razgriz," Bartlett said.

"Looks like you were right, Blaze," Cipher said. I only vaguely heard him. I was too focused on the horizon, where the enemy squadron was coming from.

"Oka Nieba to the Ghosts of Razgriz. New enemy planes on the radar. It's a double Belkan formation- Ofnir and Grabacr."

I felt my nostrils flaring, my heart hammering, my pulse pounding. This was it, and I was ready for them. They sure as hell needed to be ready for me. I saw their planes closing in on us on the horizon. I hit my afterburners even harder but it did no use; I was already going flat out. I switched to special weapons, not really expecting the LASMs to shoot them down, but more to scatter them, to break formation.

"We will restore the pride we had fifteen years ago!" one of the Grabacr declared heatedly.

"What pride?" I answered sarcastically.

"It's time to settle this, evil ravens!" an Ofnir guy growled.

"Whoa, raven? Learn your names. Razgriz is a demon, not a raven. Its animal is a raven and if you see one, then you know Razgriz is nearby," I said. My plan of shooting my XMAAs at them worked better than I expected it to. One of the guys of Ofnir hadn't pulled up in time and my missile hit his plane, sending it spiraling towards the ocean in a fiery blaze.

"Eight tough enemies… My heart's racing! My whole body's shaking!" Grimm mused fretfully, more to himself than to any of us.

"You'll be fine Grimm. Just fly on instinct," I instructed gently. "And it's seven now."

"Keep going!" Snow encouraged. "Our mission is clear!"

"Don't fight by yourself. Take them two-on-one," an Ofnir pilot barked, sounding strangely like an actual dog.

"Actually, it's two-on-one for three of us and then one-on-one for one of us seeing as how there's only seven of you," I pointed out.

"WHAT?!" he screeched. "Where did Ofnir Three go?!"

"I shot him down," I replied blatantly.

"Captain! Two enemy planes on your six!" Nagase admonished frantically.

"Hello, boys! How are y'all?!" I went up in a loop and pulled off a High-G, which is where you make your plane make a really sharp turn by accelerating and decelerating at the same time. It's best at high altitude because it can cause you to stall but this is me, and I'm not normal and should probably be in a mental institute. The enemy planes lost me and I got behind them. I fired two missiles at one of them and hit it. I recognized the plane as Grabacr. So, two down, one from each squadron. Six more to go…

"You act as if you're a god… well," the Grabacr guy said with a scoff, "The sparkling god must be slain! He _will_ be slain!"

"Dude, I'm a girl," I corrected huffily as I rolled to the left to avoid getting destroyed by missiles.

"You shall fall to your deaths and lead the way for the SOLG as it smashes into the earth!" The Grabacr leader stated passionately.

I snorted. "Well, if that is the case, then at least let me go down in a _Blaze_ of glory!" I chirped going into a loop and losing the Ofnir plane on my tail.

"You did not just make a pun with your own callsign," Grimm said with a laugh.

"So what if I did?"

"Truth be told, I found it utterly hilarious," Grimm confessed.

"Good."

The Grabacr and Ofnir leaders were shouting more commands. It was almost in their own language and it certainly wasn't Belkan so I didn't understand a word they were saying.

"We got to take out the one in command!" Grimm urged.

"No kidding. Take him out and everything falls apart," Nagase agreed.

"Where is Han Solo and his kick-ass flying skills when we need him?" I queried as seriously as I could.

"Here we go again…" Grimm grumbled as I got behind a Grabacr plane.

"These nutty and random thoughts are what keep me sane," I announced.

"Then think away," Grimm said.

"We'll return to haunt you for eternity!" A Grabacr guy yelled before I shot him down. Then all you heard from him was, "Aaagh!"

"I've been haunted by kittens more frightening than you," I snapped.

"Kittens?" Snow sounded so confused that I felt somewhat bad.

"I was being sarcastic," I told him while I got behind an Ofnir plane.

"Oh… I so knew that!"

"That's what they all say." I trailed the enemy plane that was trailing Nagase. She had been trying to lose it but hadn't been having much luck.

"This battle is over. Accept your defeat!" Snow said.

"We will never give in!"

"Suit yourself," I said with a shrug no one could see. I know you're probably wondering why I was being sarcastic to the enemy when all the times before, all I sounded was completely pissed and out for vengeance. Just for the record, those feelings haven't changed, but after my argument with Genette, I knew I couldn't let my friends see that side of me; I couldn't let them know how completely messed up I was because of Chopper's death. This façade I was putting on was for them, but it surprisingly came easy to me. Ever since Chopper died, I started thinking "what would Chopper do?" (or "WWCD") and the answer was be sarcastic or try to be humorous in bad situations. It surprisingly worked and eased my nerves.

"This is it," Grimm claimed. "This is what we've been training for, right now. I don't have time to be afraid! We've got to get past them!"

I lost count of how many enemies were left, but all I needed to know was that they were still flying and as long as they were up in the air with us, there were too many.

"Two minutes," Sky Eye cautioned.

"Captain Chopper…" Grimm began hesitantly. "If you're here, please look after us!"

"He'll always be with us. He'll hurt anyone that tries to hurt us. That, or sing rock and roll until they go crazy," Nagase said.

"Knowing Chopper, he would do the latter. He never let anyone get off easily from his punishments," I commented.

"Very true," Nagase agreed.

"Damn the ravens of Razgriz!" Grabacr number… something said, and the statement was followed by a few curse words I would rather not say. "I can read the tricks of the Razgriz like a book."

"Is that so?" I said. "Then tell me why we're shooting y'all down but none of you have been able to shoot my squadron down? And we're the ones that are outnumbered here. Tsk, tsk… you're losing your mojo."

"Don't tease them too much Blaze," Nagase groaned. "They already want us dead."

"Let us be blessed with glory as we cross the gates of hell!" An Ofnir pilot cried.

"… Does anyone else see the irony in that statement?" I questioned, attempting and succeeding in getting behind an enemy plane.

"What do you mean?" Snow inquired.

"Well, I've always been taught that if you're blessed you go to heaven but if you're damned you go to hell… now I'm certainly no expert on religion but how can you be blessed if you're going to hell?"

"I see your point," Grimm acknowledged.

"These Belkans are stupid…" I muttered.

"They'll fall apart if we take out the lead plane!" The Ofnir leader observed.

"Oh this is on like Donkey Kong in a- never mind," I said hastily. "Although it is on like Donkey Kong."

I fired missiles at the enemy plane I had been trailing and it went down in a fiery mass. Apparently, shooting down the plane captured the attention of the other enemies and they figured out I was the captain. How lovely…

"That's him! Get him!" Ofnir leader bellowed. Like hell they were going to get me…

"Bartlett and Huckebein were no match against me. And you think you even stand a chance?" The Grabacr leader sneered.

"Ashley Bernitz, right?" I queried. "I remember hearing you were shot down by the Demon Lord."

"He was unnatural, a freak of nature," Bernitz snarled.

"Thank you for calling my uncle a freak of nature," I said sarcastically as I shot down two planes within a minute.

"He's your uncle?" Bernitz sounded shocked.

"Correct, kiddo. So, who is able to piss you off more, me or him?" I inquired as I shot the second to last plane down according to my radar.

"I… I never thought you would be this good…" Bernitz confessed in a strained voice. Apparently, he was the only one left. Wow, we destroyed them…

"Shoot them all down. We will not allow a single one of them to live," an Ofnir guy said. Damn… I didn't see him on my radar. So we had two guys to destroy? I still didn't seem him on my radar so, experimentally, I rolled my plane upside down and saw the Ofnir leader below me. He looked up and I pulled a 'Chopper.' I flipped him off. "Razgriz, go back to the pits of hell you came from!"

"So we get to stay here! Sweetness!" I exclaimed. Grimm, Snow, and Nagase were unusually quiet. I vaguely wondered what they were doing. I wasn't worried about them because they were all on my radar and there were only two enemies. I shot the guy from Ofnir down, leaving only Bernitz. This guy was mine.

"One minute," Sky Eye said.

"We don't have time to be dealing with you right now!" Snow said in aggravation.

"My god! They're alive!" I joked. "Geez, where have y'all been this whole time? You've been unusually quiet."

"We were trying to focus," Nagase defended.

"Easy, woman. I didn't mean any offense," I said.

"Pupils of Huckebein! We will decide once and for all who is superior!" Bernitz declared.

"Bring it!" I shot back.

"So they think the same moves will work twice? Swat them down!" The Ofnir leader shouted.

"Didn't I shoot your sorry ass down?" I retorted in annoyance.

"I think they bailed out," Grimm commented.

"And the zombie wakens," I said with a snicker. I was enjoying myself way too much right now. "It's stupid on their part. No one is coming to their rescue."

"I overheard Pops and Cipher and Pixy ordering a group of men to deploy a Coast Guard boat in case they needed to pick anyone up. I bet you anything they're going to pick up the Grabacr and Ofnir," Snow said.

"Good!"

"After we destroy you, we'll open up the tunnel to the south!" the Ofnir leader declared. "We will have our revenge on the two nations. Then, Belka will once again claim the southern lands!"

"Wow, having some delusions of grandeur there? The Ofnir leader is a little crazier than you, Bernitz, and that's saying something," I noted.

"Do you ever stop talking?" Bernitz queried.

"When I know it annoys someone I don't like, no," I replied frankly at the same time I shot him down. We only had about thirty seconds to get to the SOLG's drop point. I charged to the area with my squadron trailing behind me.

"Don't think you've won this. This isn't over yet!" The Ofnir leader claimed.

"Yeah, yeah. Have fun in the water," I said airily.

"All enemy planes destroyed," Sky Eye announced. It was some of the best news I had ever heard in my life.

"Blaze…" Nagase murmured.

"Nagase? Are you okay?" I asked.

"You don't realize it, do you?" She countered softly.

"You're scaring me woman. What's up?"

"They were all shot down, Blaze," She pointed out.

"Well aren't you a Sherlock Holmes. Thanks for pointing it out!"

"Shot down by you, Blaze," Grimm added.

"… What?" I demanded in shock.

"You shot each and every one of them down by yourself. We did nothing," Snow told me.

… Did I really?

"I-I…" I couldn't say anything. I mean, what do you say to something like that?

We went up to about twenty thousand feet. I was guesstimating what altitude the SOLG was going to greet us at.

"I see light to the east… morning's coming," Nagase mused wistfully.

"Our night flight is over," Grimm acknowledged. "I can't wait to see it. The most beautiful sunrise ever!"

"And the sun will continue to rise, now and forever," Snow said in a philosophical tone. I was tempted to say that that wasn't true and that scientists said the sun wasn't going to be around forever but I didn't want to ruin the moment.

We fell silent before Grimm suddenly said, "I just remembered… my birthday's coming up next week." Nagase and I chuckled.

"See? Aren't you glad you're still alive?" Snow questioned.

"I bet my mom will be happy to see my brother come back home from Yuktobania."

"You oughta go make her happy, too. We're almost done here."

"Thank God. I couldn't have asked for a better squadron. I hope y'all know that," I said bashfully. I wasn't one for creating sappy moments but hey, I think we deserved it this one time, especially after all we'd been through.

"Captain, I want to thank you," Snow said.

"… Captain Snow?" Grimm queried.

"Flying as a wingman again, I now know how my men felt," Snow confessed.

"I do hope I wasn't an ass," I said.

"Not at all!" Snow laughed. "Maybe psychotic as hell in your flying, but an ass? Never… okay, maybe to the enemy but they deserved it."

"The SOLG has fallen to an altitude low enough for you to attack. I know you can do this. Destroy it!" Sky Eye ordered. "I've received a data link from your guy 'Pops,' with the SOLG's structural details. The SOLG's outer shell has a rotating accelerator. The only way you can attack its core structure directly is through the gaps in this accelerator. That's bad news. This'll be tough."

"Well hell…" Grimm mumbled.

"That's my line!" I whined. Grimm only chuckled.

"We gotta stop that thing, Grimm!" Snow encouraged.

"I know! I'm not that blonde!"

"You're not even blonde," Nagase pointed out.

"He's blonde at heart," I commented.

"Like me," Nagase noted.

"The SOLGs eighty miles from Oured," Sky Eye announced. By now, I could see the monster and saying it is massive is an understatement. I swear to God it was the size of a small moon. The SOLG was intimidating with its black-gray color, rotating accelerator, and the fact that I knew there was a nuclear weapon on there.

"It's falling… it's so huge," Grimm scrutinized.

"We gotta destroy it! Don't let it hit the ground in one piece!" Snow encouraged before adding, "I'm used to desperate situations… but this one is the worst!"

Pieces of debris were breaking off of the contrivance and floating right in our line of flight. At one point, I had to roll my plane to avoid a crash with a solar panel.

"Shoot the panels. They should break easily," Nagase informed. "Watch out for the fragments falling off the SOLG."

"I'm not gonna get done in by some falling fragments…" Snow muttered.

"You're not gonna get done in by anything… period," I told him as I fired missiles at one of the four targets. They didn't take many missiles to destroy but the thing that made this whole thing tricky was the rotating accelerator. You had to time your firing just right.

"The enemy's laid its strongest cards against us… but no matter," Snow said.

"I won't let them finish us. Not here!" Nagase declared, firing missiles at another target. We had each taken it upon ourselves to fire at one of the targets. However, we were all weaving about as to avoid debris and each other.

If Chopper were here, he'd be cracking jokes… probably rude ones. He would know how to ease our nerves; he would know how to ease the tenseness of the situation. I remember when we had been at his house after we had attacked the Yukes' weapon's factory and he was being a complete smartass to Melissa and so she finally said if he was going to be such a smartass, he might as well have a name for being one. So Chopper called his smartass comments 'smartass-isms.' So clever, right? We had all laughed that.

"Captain! We need you here!" Snow shouted.

"Sorry," I apologized sheepishly, not realizing I had been daydreaming… or would it be morning dreaming since it wasn't technically day yet? I should really stop thinking so much…

"You can see the SOLG fragments reflecting light," Grimm observed.

"If only the lights were fireworks instead of deadly pieces of debris that could kill us," I said. "When this thing is destroyed, it's going to explode with a hell of a bang. It's going to be like one big firework."

"We need to watch fireworks one day, and one's that don't involve gunfire or explosions," Grimm added. "… I swear we've had this conversation before."

"I don't know if we have or not; I can barely remember what we did last night let alone if we've had a conversation before."

"Tell me you're joking about last night," Nagase moaned.

"Of course I am… mostly…"

"You scare me so much," Nagase said.

"I know. I'm your best friend. It's my job."

Truthfully, besides dodging pieces of debris and having to fire the missiles at the SOLG's components at the right time, it honestly wasn't that hard. Okay, maybe for me it wasn't, but Grimm, Snow, and Nagase seemed to be getting frustrated. I fired about ten missiles in total at my target to destroy it; unfortunately, these devils used a lot of missiles. I was going to have to make sure that every shot count. I drifted over to help Snow beside me. He and I had taken the two bottom targets while Nagase and Grimm had taken the two top ones.

"Need help Snow?" I questioned, although it was more a rhetorical question than anything else. I was going to help whether he liked it or not.

"Gladly," he admitted.

A thought struck me that could possible help us get the SOLG destroyed more quickly. "Nagase, Snow, Grimm, a lot of the fragments are coming off on their own. See if you can speed it up. The less fragments we have to worry about coming at us, the easier it will be for us to destroy the SOLG."

"Roger. You're going to destroy the components, aren't you?" Nagase said.

"Yeah." I sped up to the front of the SOLG and lifted my plane up; its rotating accelerators were only about ten feet in front of me. I was high enough where any debris most likely wouldn't hit me and I was low enough to get a good missile lock on the components. I started firing at the component that Grimm had been firing at earlier. It was already semi-damaged from when he had been firing at it. The main problem was that I had to wait for the accelerators to unblock the target before I could fire. That's what took so long. With one destroyed, I had three left, including the one I was working on. It was halfway damaged. Nagase and Grimm and Snow were rapidly depleting the excess pieces on the SOLG, such as solar panels and whatnot.

"Remember those craters in the Belkan mainland. Don't let it happen again!" Grimm stated.

"I will never let that many people die again," I declared.

"We have the hearts of thousands backing us! And the lives of so many more in front of us!" Grimm exclaimed.

"Literally and figuratively," I mumbled. I started to recognize the feeling of not necessarily nervousness, but more of anxiety. Where was that coming from? The only times that had happened was with my first battle and when Chopper crashed. So why was it happening now? Then it finally clicked in my brain that this _was_ the final battle. There would be no more fighting after this. My anxiety was coming from what I was going to do _after_ it was over. Before, I had it all figured out. Chopper and I were going to get married, I was probably going to start training nuggets, and he was going to go into the music industry. But now everything changed. So, doing one of the things I do best, I pushed the thoughts out of my mind and told myself to think about them later, that I needed to focus on what was happening right now. That wasn't a complete lie, but you could also say I was procrastinating.

I hadn't realized I had kept firing at the component and now it was destroyed. Two left. I shifted to the right and started working on the component Nagase had been working on. It was halfway damaged.

"I believe in her!" Grimm exclaimed. "As long as the Captain's with us, we can do the impossible!"

"And the psychotic," I added. "Don't forget the psychotic."

"You just love to ruin the moments, Blaze." Grimm chuckled.

"You know I'm not one for sappy stuff… but thank you, Grimm… even if you did make me feel old calling me Captain and acted like I'm not here, I'm glad you believe in me."

"Don't forget me and Snow!" Nagase said.

"I won't," I assured as I destroyed the component I had been working on.

"Anything built by human hands can be destroyed. This is no exception," Snow claimed.

"We've flown through tunnels, both man made natural, and underground. This is easy compared to those feats," Nagase mused.

"Yes. So don't let up until it's over," Snow heartened while he destroyed the last three solar panels on the right side of the SOLG.

"We're still not doing enough damage to stop it, but…" Nagase trailed off.

"But we're the only ones who can," Grimm finished.

"That's right. We have to stop it," Snow said determinedly.

"No pressure, right?" I said casually.

"We're gonna do this! Just believe in yourselves!" Snow encouraged, joining Nagase and Grimm in shooting down arms of the accelerator. Those were going to be a bitch to avoid (excuse my language).

"Snow, you should hold seminars for encouraging people. I think you'd be really good at it," I told him.

"I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or honest," Snow answered in perplexity.

"Both, but mainly the latter one."

"Good to know."

We fell silent and one of the four long arms of the SOLG detached and barreled straight towards Snow. He dodged out the way, narrowly avoiding being hit.

"I'm not through yet!" He growled. "This is for all my men who fell before me!"

"This is for the rookies that died because of the stupid Base Commander sending them into battle when they were unready!" Grimm shouted.

"This is for everyone in this war who never knew what they were fighting for," Nagase stated.

I knew it was my turn to say something, so I thought of my words carefully. "This is for everyone, military and civilian. This is for the future generations in hope they never have to deal with a monstrosity like this… This is for Chopper, who gave up his life to save thousands. This is for my uncle, who has had to hide from the Belkans for his safety."

"This is for Pixy and Geller, who went against their own country to help us," Nagase added, destroying another arm.

Grimm joined in. "This is for Pops, for having the courage to refuse orders from his superiors and help Osea fight against Belka fifteen years ago and for saving us when Hamilton tricked everyone on base into thinking we were traitors." He destroyed the third arm.

"This is for Major, for obtaining the disc for the SOLG's structural details," Snow included as he destroyed the fourth arm. Now the SOLG look like one, long… pencil. Yes, that's it. It looked like a pencil.

"This is for Andersen, who gave us shelter and hospitality when we had nowhere else to go," Nagase said, firing at the two remaining solar panels.

"This is for the Kestrel crew members who helped us through everything along the way," Snow declared, helping Nagase.

"This is for my brother, who made me want to go into the military in the first place," Grimm said, finishing the panels off. We all scattered to avoid being hit by them.

"This is for my brother and Cassie who were always there to greet us after a hard day and to cheer us up… and, this is for Bartlett, who, without him, I would never have learned to be so incredibly nuts," I joked.

"Hey!" Bartlett protested.

"Hey, yourself!" I laughed. "Don't worry, that was a compliment."

"It better be," He muttered.

I was almost done with the last component. Almost there…

"This _is_ our final flight. We _will_ get through this!" Nagase stated sternly.

I stared at the final component. This was it.

"It's all yours Captain," Snow told me softly, pride in his voice. I took a deep breath, waited for the perfect timing… and fired my two missiles. They hit directly. I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding.

* * *

**Genette**

We stood on the bridge, watching as the SOLG came into view, starting out as a speck but growing larger and larger by the second. It was moving rapidly towards Oured. Everyone lined up: me, Pixy, Uncle Jason, Pops, Andersen, Bartlett, Geller, Cassie, and Nastasya. We stared out over the horizon, wondering what our fate was going to be. The city was silent. Most people had evacuated the city or had gone into underground shelters. Only the eight of us were stupid enough to stand outside with no protection whatsoever. If the situation hadn't been so critical, I would've found the silence to be peaceful.

An ear-splitting scream over the mic shattered the stillness of daybreak. My heart dropped when I recognized the scream as Blaze's. I grabbed his mic and started shouting, "Blaze!" into it.

"WE DID IT! WE DID IT! WE DID IT!" She screamed back gleefully. It took us a few seconds to register what she had just said. Only then when Nagase and Grimm and Snow started cheering and hollering that we caught on. We all started laughing in amazement, not knowing what else we could do. Of course, Bartlett grabbed Nastasya and kissed her in front of everyone. She seemed completely shocked but she didn't try and push him away; in fact, I think she egged him on for more. Hastily, I looked away. Pixy, Cipher, and I high-fived each other, Pops, Andersen, and Geller were grinning from ear to ear. Cassie gave me a huge hug. We looked back at the horizon and finally saw the four black planes flying towards us.

The fluttering of wings caught my attention and I looked up to see a bird landing on a lamp post. It looked around briefly, settled itself in a comfortable position, before jerking its head up towards the sky. And that's when the SOLG exploded high above us. It resembled a pink firework… if a firework had the sound of a nuclear explosion. We covered our ears to save our hearing and it definitely helped, although not near enough as I would've liked. The roaring of engines in the distance made me uncover my ears and I saw the Razgriz, in standard formation, flying straight towards us.

I smiled as an absurd thought entered my mind: _When history witnesses a great change, Razgriz reveals itself… first, as a dark demon. As a demon, it uses its power to rain death upon the land, and then it dies. However, after a period of slumber, Razgriz returns, this time as a great hero._

I knew that when the time came to reveal who the Razgriz were, I was going to make sure this was said. It explained their story almost exactly. Each of the Razgriz did a spin before shooting straight up into the air. That's when our mics started exploding with cheers from Oseans and Yukes alike.

"We did it!"

"We won!"

"Salute the Aces of Razgriz!" Everyone started chanting "Razgriz" and I knew my sister could hear them; I wondered what she thought about it.

When they landed, Blaze hopped out of her plane and charged Uncle Jason. She gave him such a forceful hug that he almost fell back but Pixy stabilized him. Nagase rushed at me and like Blaze, tackled me in a hug. Unlike Blaze, I didn't have anyone to make sure I didn't fall so Nagase and I crashed onto the pavement. She gave me a kiss but she was laughing so much that it was a short one. Grimm was holding Cassie in an embrace, her legs wrapped around his waist. I'm pretty sure she was crying. Next, Blaze came over and hugged me so tightly that I thought I was going to asphyxiate. Just my luck to not be killed by some killer Belkan invention but by my sister hugging me. One by one, everyone was hugged and hugged again… and again… and again.

Once we had all gotten most of the hugging out, about eight armored vehicles pulled up to us. We fell silent and stared in shock as President Harling alighted the middle one with Prime Minister Nikanor. We all stood at attention; Blaze saluted them and we followed likewise. President Harling and Nikanor returned them.

"At ease, soldiers," Harling said. We obeyed. "Nikanor and I will never be able to repay you after what you have done for this country."

"It was an honor to know all of you," Nikanor said. "You will always be welcome in Yuktobania."

"I have made a few decisions that I would like to discuss with each and every one of you. Of course, I would prefer to do it in private and in the security of Versailles," Harling told us (Versailles is the living place for the President of Osea. Whenever you're president, you live there). No one objected and so we each got into a car; Blaze and Snow got in with Harling and Nikanor. Cipher and Pixy and Geller took another (apparently Geller and Pixy knew each other). Nagase and I shared a car, Cassie and Grimm did the same, Pops and Andersen took a car, and Bartlett and Nastasya took one. In total, we used six of the eight cars. I stared out the window with Nagase's head on my shoulder. She fell asleep on the way to the palace. She wasn't the only one. In fact, all the Razgriz pilots fell asleep. President Harling was laughing saying how he and Nikanor had looked at each other for barely five seconds, looked back at Blaze and Snow and the two of them were completely out. However, by the time we reached Versailles, they woke up and groggily stumbled into the palace.

We headed to the cabinet room, where most discussions the president holds take place.

We took a seat and Harling started to speak. None of us were expecting the offer he made, and none of us could predict the hell storm that was about to happen.

* * *

**I'll admit, I got a little teary-eyed writing this in the beginning. It is sad knowing this was the final battle. Well, before I get too sappy, I want to thank all my reviewers! And, since this was the final battle, how about a review? ;) Until next time!**


	33. AWOL

**I hope y'all didn't think that was the last chapter :) I should really be reading but I decided to update all my stories at once before I disappear off the planet while I scramble to finish my AP US History summer assignment which means do eight, page long journals about **_**All the President's Men**_**. I have four done, working on the fifth. Thank God I had a choice about what journals I could do because I chose the easiest :P (who doesn't?) and then I also have been nicknamed "Gator Girl" by my friends after about six guys lifted my arms and legs and **_**attempted**_** to throw me in a pool. I death-rolled them like and alligator and they dropped me. It was freaking epic! Oh and then I kicked them and all you heard was this loud SMACK!**

**Quote of the Chapter:  
**"**The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step and a lot of bitching."  
****~Unknown**

* * *

Chapter 33: AWOL

**Blaze**

**Six months later, June 21, 2011…**

I couldn't believe where I was today. I, along with my squadron, Cassie and Genette, were the President's personal assistants (I guess that is what you could call it). He would consult us about an idea of his and we would give our honest opinion about it. He would give us jobs to do, mainly touring bases and making sure everything was in order. Then, we were also given assignments. Right now, we had one. I was attempting to get us, or at least me, another one. Of course, if I went somewhere out of the immediate vicinity of Oured, someone had to go with me for my protection. That's what happens when you work for the president and have the same level of security clearance as him, a.k.a. the highest clearance possible. My whole squadron, my brother, Cassie, Pops, and Andersen had it too. Geller even received some clearance but he had gone home to his wife and kid right after the war. He had come back yesterday but I hadn't seen him yet. He was coming today though.

The Grabacr and Ofnir squadrons had been found swimming towards Oured about one hundred miles away. They were exhausted but from what I heard, they put up one hell of a fight against the Coast Guards that captured them. They were currently in the highest security prison on Devil's Island off the coast of Miramar about two miles out. The island was aptly named seeing as how they sent the worst criminals and people there (i.e. mass murderers, traitors, enemy aces, etc.).

I rocked back in my chair as I listened to President Harling go on about going to Sand Island. I scowled inwardly at the name just because it was the place that had been the epicenter of most of the problems that had caused my squadron and me to be branded traitors.

"I'm sending in a team of people to search through everything there: computer files, computer searches, papers, everything. We need to see how many people were involved with the Belkans and what their jobs were," President Harling said.

"Let us go in; we'll know what we're supposed to be looking for," I spoke up. My friends backed me up. "Besides, I would like nothing more than to search the Base Commander's office."

I glanced at my friends and it took them barely a second to know what I was thinking of. That made us all start giggling.

With a sigh, Harling agreed. "Fly in fighter jets just in case you're greeted with enemies although I don't think that will happen. However, it's better to be safe than sorry. You leave tomorrow with the group of soldiers. I'll inform General Lassiter. I'll see you later."

We stood up and saluted Harling, a habit he had never been able to break us out of. He returned it and walked out.

"I could really use some donuts now," Grimm admitted.

With a grin, I said, "We have time to kill before Pixy, Cipher, and Geller get here. I say we go get some!"

When no one objected, the six of us bolted out of the room, pushing the others out of the way to get to the door first. Triumphantly, I hollered as I reached the door first. But then someone grabbed me from behind and pulled me away, letting Nagase get it first. I whirled around to see Genette smirking.

"You suck," I muttered. The six of us walked down the street to Shipley's Donuts, the best donut shop in Oured, probably Osea in general. I ordered two dozen chocolate munckins (don't judge, it was noon and I hadn't eaten anything!), which are pretty much donut balls. They're amazingly delicious. Nagase and Genette split a box of a half-dozen chocolate-glazed donuts while Grimm, Cassie, and Snow shared a dozen strawberry-glazed donuts. We also got some coffee drinks; my drink was a frappacino actually because I don't like straight coffee. It tastes disgusting to me. Cassie and Grimm pretty much lived off the stuff which didn't help their already hyper demeanor.

Once we were finished, we walked back to Versailles. Pixy and Cipher were just entering the building right as we reached the door.

"Perfect timing!" Cassie exclaimed.

"She's had about three cups of coffee so she's a bit hyper," I explained.

"God help us," Genette added, earning him a smack upside the head by Cassie.

Cipher looked at my outfit and with a droll look, said, "Blaze, this is not a fashion show."

"What?" I demanded innocently. I had on a one shouldered, dark purple-red dress and some pewter colored flats along with a black leather aviator jacket. My aviator sunglasses were on my head. I saw absolutely nothing wrong with the outfit. Rolling his eyes, my uncles said nothing but just walked in. Guys did not understand fashion…

"Anything new with Rald?" Genette asked.

"Besides millions of emails from people saying they saw him, no. Nothing new," Pixy answered casually.

"What about y'all? Anything new?" Cipher inquired.

"Nothing about Rald but we're going back to Sand Island tomorrow to find anything that might help us figure out the loose ends in the whole Belkan plot for world domination or whatever the hell they were after," I explained. Pixy and Cipher stopped dead in their tracks.

"Is it safe for y'all to go there?" Cipher demanded.

"Of course. Besides, we'll have a lot of soldiers joining us. I think there are about fifty total, not including us. You have nothing to worry about," I assured. My uncle looked dubious but didn't comment any further. We walked up to the computer room which we had pretty much taken complete control over. There were eight computers in there, one for each of us. They were all on their own little desk. In the center of the room there was a big table, scattered with photos we had received of Rald look-alikes and locations he had supposedly been spotted. There were also journal articles about Rald, actual pictures of the guy from when he was at the height of his power, pictures of his son (who seemed to care less about politics. Strange I found), phone records from his son (which none were placed to his father or any suspicious numbers), and other papers that I didn't know what to call them. We had to take into account that Rald aged fifteen years and for all we know, he could've grown a mustache, he could've grown his hair out to the middle of back (ew), or he could've grown a beard like Dumbledore's. Or maybe he didn't change at all. Pixy and Cipher hardly looked like they've aged a day since the war fifteen years ago. God I hope I have the same luck…

"Guys, did any of you ever notice that these five photos look just a like?" Nagase inquired as she pulled out photos and put them side by side. We crowded around her and stared. Putting them up next to an actual picture of Rald, we stood there in a stunned silence. How oblivious had we been?

"How the hell did we miss this?" Snow demanded.

"In our defense, we probably have about three hundred photos on this table. It was going to take us a while," Cassie pointed out. None of us disagreed because saying we had three hundred photos on this table was no exaggeration. In fact, it was probably an understatement.

"Where was this taken?" I inquired.

"Umm… these were all taken within a fifteen mile radius of Dinsmark. We should start calling businesses and whatnot to try and find out if they know who he is," Pixy said. The eight of us went to work, each taking a specific place. Genette printed out a list of all businesses in and around Dinsmark. We split the list up into eight sections and we each started calling. It took most of the day and by the time I was done with my list (because for some reason I got stuck with the Chatty Cathy's), it was nearly ten. Everyone else had gone and gotten supper. I had stayed behind and finished working. It seemed like that's all I do now, is just work. I guess it's my escape. Ever since the war, I guess you could say I've been lost… at least with free time. Therefore I bury myself in any and all my work. I knew the excuse would only last for so long because sooner or later my friends would ask me why I was always working and never took any time for myself and yaddi yada yada.

Not for the first time, I fell asleep at my desk and woke up in my bed. I never was able to figure out who carried me from my chair to my bed every time without waking me up. I seriously needed to have a secret camera in my room to film it and figure out who it was…

It was five in the morning when I woke up. I had two hours before I had to fly to Sand Island. Groggily, I stumbled out of bed, took a shower, put on makeup, blow-dried my hair, put on my flight-suit, and went downstairs to the dining room. My squadron, along with Genette, Cassie, Pixy, and my uncle, were already there. Pixy and Cipher were the only ones not in flight suits. They were staying here to find out more about those Rald pictures. Snow, Genette, Nagase, Grimm, Cassie, and I ate a light breakfast, enough to fill us up but not enough to make us sick when we went up in the air (because that would majorly suck). A guy named Yuri drove us to the airstrip where we were greeted by the leader of the search. His name was Joshua Lassiter. He was surprisingly very amiable, which his weathered face, gray hair, and sharp green eyes did not agree with. People are so good at surprising me sometimes. Other times I'm thinking, 'dude, a goldfish could've predicted you would do that.'

Genette got in with Nagase and Cassie got in with Grimm. Snow and I flew solo. The flight was about three hours, not too bad.

"I call searching through the Base Commander's room!" Grimm shouted. We all laughed but only Genette, Cassie, Nagase, and I truly got it.

"Okay, let us know if you find anything," I told him firmly.

"Yes milady."

The rest of the conversation consisted of us bantering back and forth and the pilot of the transport plane would laugh occasionally which I was very proud of myself for because like Lassiter, this guy looked like he had no sense of humor. I vaguely wondered if the soldiers were able to listen to our conversations. I didn't think they could though.

We landed about noon. Most likely, we were going to be spending the night on the island so the transport plane had brought enough food for everybody. Lassiter came out and the soldiers lined up. We stood off to the side, wondering what we were supposed to be doing.

"We're splitting up and searching every single _inch_ of this base!" He barked. "If you find anything that even mentions Belka once or has a Belkan word in it, I want it taken back to Oured. This is a serious mission people so there will be now screwing up!" Turning to me, he asked, "What rooms would you like to take?"

"We'll take our old rooms and Lieutenant Colonel Davenport's room. And, if possible, we would like the Base Commander's office as well," I requested. I knew the former one was fine but the second one might be a bit iffy. Lassiter hesitated before agreeing much to my surprise. After that, everyone took a room. I went directly to mine. My anger swelled when I saw that someone had gone through it. I mean, it's not that I have anything to hide but I don't want anyone going through my personal items, you know? With a groan of disgust, I went over to my closet and took out the clothes I had left behind. Thankfully none of them were damaged. I set them in a neat pile in the closet before walking over to my drawers and pulling out other articles of clothing and putting them in a bag and setting them next to my clothes. After that, I got all my personal belongings and set them in a big pile next to my clothes. That left my room practically bare. The only thing I had left was to copy all my files from my computer onto my flash drive. That took literally about five minutes. I searched all over my room for any type of bugging device or something of that nature. My room was clean.

With a sigh, I went to Chopper's room. I thought I was angry at my room being searched, but his room… it was nothing compared to mine. Drawers were taken out, clothes were strewn about the room, his bed was a complete wreck, papers were everywhere, and pictures were cracked. Clenching my jaw, I walked over to his dresser where he had pictures of friends and family. There was one of the day that he and I got had gotten engaged. The picture was cracked right down the middle, like it was separating us. I found it somewhat ironic. With an effort, I resisted screaming in frustration and started gathering the papers. Most of them were reports for him or about him or evaluations. I searched through all of them and there was nothing of importance. Still, I decided to keep them, just in case his family wanted them. I didn't know what to do with his clothes. In the end, I decided to give them to a charity when we got back home. I fixed his bed, put the drawers back where they belonged, and put his personal belongings in a stack to take home with me before I went to his computer. Thank god for my memory that remembered things I probably wouldn't need. For once, it worked for me and I remembered his password: Enter Sandman. Always was a Metallica fan. I opened his files and looked at them one by one. Nothing had any importance to Belka. I was halfway through when my phone buzzed. Flipping it open, the phone screen read it was from Grimm: _Come to Commander's room immediately!_

I raced over there. Genette was already there and the rest of my squadron wasn't far behind me.

"What is it?" I demanded.

"I hit the jackpot," he said in a deadly serious tone.

"Well, show us!" Cassie prodded impatiently. With an incredulous sigh, Grimm lifted something out of the drawer. When I saw it, I collapsed onto the floor laughing. Everyone else did the same. I think it took us about ten minutes for us to finally gain some of our composure back and to actually gain the ability to talk.

"Chopper was right!" Nagase exclaimed.

"I can't believe it," Genette said drolly. We stared at the container of moldy donuts… or were they cookies? I wasn't sure because the mold had pretty much made their original form unrecognizable.

"I'm sure those could be classified as toxic waste now. I don't think cookies should be purple," I noted.

"I thought they were donuts?" Snow said.

"I thought they were brownies," Grimm noted. That sent us into another five-minute fit of laughter. Once that was done, we all split up searching for more food items the Commander had stashed away. We found three cartons in his filing drawers, a box of some green things that I think used to cookies behind some file holders, another four boxes in a metal locker, and one more box in a desk drawer. I think we lined them up by what color mold was on it. There was green, pink, purple, and blue. We almost had the whole freaking rainbow.

"This is disgusting. If I come down with some incurable disease from touching them, I'm suing all of you," Genette warned.

"Yeah, yeah," I said. "I'm going to go back to Chopper's room. Have fun with the Commander's office."

I walked out of the room with a grin still on my face. I finished searching through Chopper's room. There was nothing pertaining to Belka at all. Apparently, except for in Hamilton and Bailey's room, everyone else was clean. I obtained a suitcase and carefully packed all my belongings and Chopper's together. It was loaded onto the plane. Even though it was only six at night and there was still daylight, Quincy decided to spend the night. I took Chopper's room and let Snow have mine. I barely slept that whole night. Too many memories, both good and bad, came flooding back to me. I tried not to remember too much that happened here on Sand Island but it's harder than you would think. Around two in the morning, there was a soft knock on my door. Whoever was there knew me well and knew I would be up. When I opened the door, Cassie and Nagase were standing there, giving me sad half-smiles.

"We couldn't sleep…" Cassie mumbled.

"Too many memories that kept us up," Nagase added.

"I know the feeling," I said with a humorless chuckle. I moved aside and let them come in. I sat on Chopper's bed while Cassie and Nagase pulled up the couch right up to the bed. They sat down on opposite ends, silently declaring their space.

"I can't stop thinking about the time that the boys eavesdropped on our conversation and we got our revenge by dumping water on them," Cassie mused.

"Oh my god that was hilarious and then of course Chopper decided to hug me from behind so I was practically as soaking wet as him."

"I never knew a guy that could piss off so many top brass and get away with it every single time," Nagase acknowledged.

"He rubbed off on you, too, Blaze," Cassie said with a laugh. I groaned as I remembered my conversation with Thunderhead.

Mimicking my voice, Nagase quoted, "Screw you Thunderhead… oh wait, you already have!"

She and Cassie started bellowing as I covered my eyes with my hands in embarrassment. You could say I'm not necessarily proud of that moment.

"I think Chopper wanted to marry you right then and there," Nagase mused drolly.

"You and Genette are going to get married," I declared.

"How do you know? Wait, did he say something to you?" Nagase queried suspiciously.

"No! Not yet at least."

"Nagase, you should know Blaze has this freaky sixth sense. I swear to god she's psychic sometimes," Cassie said. "Of course she knows that Genette is going to ask you."

"Grimm's going to ask you too, Cassie. He hasn't told me but you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure that out," I told her. Cassie blushed and not because she was embarrassed by what I said. Nagase and I pounced on her. "Cassie! Are you and Grimm engaged?!"

"No!" She protested. "But we've talked about it."

"And you're just now telling us?" Nagase demanded.

"We didn't want y'all to know until we had made an actual decision. That failed."

"Miserably," Nagase and I said at the same time. That all made us laugh.

We talked some more and I kept thinking something was strange but I couldn't place my finger on it. Finally, I looked out the blinds and figured it out. The three of us had literally stayed up all night talking. And, to be honest, I wasn't tired whatsoever. Nagase and Cassie didn't seem to be tired either. It was about eight when someone knocked on my door. I opened it to find a frantic looking Genette and Grimm at my door.

"Have you seen Cassie or Nagase? They're not in their rooms!" Grimm explained quickly.

"They're in here," I replied. "They've been here all night."

My brother and Grimm looked over my shoulder.

"Hi boys," Cassie greeted.

"Why have you been in with Blaze all night?" Genette asked curiously.

"Girl talk," Nagase answered simply. Her tone implied any other questions in that direction would be unwelcome.

"Well next time leave a note or something. We thought something had happened to you two," Grimm said tiredly.

"What did you think happened?" I asked with a chuckle.

"We thought that some of the guys had hit on you and… never mind. Listen, the plane's going to board soon so you should make sure you have everything you want packed," Genette said. He gave Nagase a quick kiss before heading back to his room. Grimm went… somewhere. The girls and I had all of our stuff packed so we rolled the suitcases out to the plane. They were loaded on and we got in our planes, eager to get off the island. Snow, Grimm, and Genette were soon to follow. Of course, it took about an hour for everyone else to get onboard the transport. And then, when the plane was heading back to Oured, the girls and I put our planes on auto pilot and sacked out. You can't blame us since we literally got no sleep last night.

I woke up to Snow and Grimm singing my name. I promptly told them I was awake and that they needed to shut up. Nagase and Cassie were also up. After we landed, I don't know how we were able to walk a straight line to the car that was giving us a ride back to Versailles since we were so tired but somehow we managed. I don't remember much of that trip but I think Genette had to pull me out of the way because I was heading straight for a pole and in my mind I was thinking that I was just going to walk right through it. Oh man, got to love it when I'm tired.

On the car ride to Versailles, I fell asleep and woke up in my bed. Seriously, I really needed to set up a video camera and figure out who keeps carrying me up to my room without waking me up. It's creepy. I looked at the clock and saw that it was five in the evening. Wow. I had slept for practically four or five hours on top of the four hours on the plane trip. I took a quick shower and made myself look decent enough by blow drying my hair and putting on makeup. I walked out of the room and went to the 'Rald Room' as I called it. There was a note on my desk from Genette telling me that everyone had gone home to get some rest. Apparently Harling was still here though. I sat down and delved into my work. I had been meaning to organize all of these pictures and files on the table into my computer using the NeatDesk Desktop Scanner. I didn't think it worked but the universe decided to shock me. With all the files, I was at my desk for six hours between scanning, sorting, naming, and filing, but that was because I'm a neat freak when it comes to filing things like that and so I was being extremely OCD about where things went.

By the time I finished, it was eleven at night and now I was just fooling around on the computer playing Spider Solitaire. Why it was called Spider Solitaire, I don't know but it was madly addicting.

"Blaze? What on earth are you still doing here?" President Harling inquired in shock. I looked up.

"I've been filing everything away so that it's stored on the computer," I explained.

"You need to take a break from working, Blaze. You haven't missed a day since I gave you the job, not even when you were sick with strep. Take a day off, go hang out with family or friends. Go on a shopping spree that you women find so much fun… have you visited your fiancé's family since he died?"

I looked down shamefully. "No…"

"Why not?" Harling inquired. I merely shrugged my shoulders.

"I'm almost done here. I'm just going to put all these files back on the table and then I'll go home."

"Okay, but take the day off tomorrow. I'm going to tell all security you're not allowed in here at all tomorrow," he said with a grin. I gave a dramatic, defeated sigh. "I'll see you soon Blaze."

He said goodbye and left the room. Okay, truth be told, the only reason I hadn't talked to Chopper's family was because I feared they blamed me for his death. I was deathly afraid that they would blame me and I couldn't bear the look in their eyes when they told me. Put me up against the top aces of the world, I could handle that with no fear at all. Put me up against my dead fiancé's family, I'll be shaking so much I'll be making an earthquake.

I put the pictures and files on the table in a neat order before grabbing my purse and walking out the door. I headed down to the garage where I found that my car was the only one down there. I'll admit it was a bit creepy being the _only_ person down there so I hurried into my car and tore out of there. I don't know why I was on edge but something felt off down there. I shook off the feeling as I drove home. I smiled to myself at the thought of being in my own bed. It had been a week since I had recently been falling asleep at my desk and been waking up in one of Versailles's 2300 hundred rooms (yeah, it was huge. Psycho architects in the 1400's thought it would be fun to create a palace that size. This place is a bitch (pardon my language) to walk through. It took me two months to figure out where everything is).

My house was a ranch style house that was in a neighborhood where the houses were decently separated. It was nice. You could even have horses on your property. I had thought about getting one but my job was to time-consuming right now.

I pulled into my driveway and turned off the engine. My nerves were acting up again. Something was off. Figuring it was still because of Sand Island and the anxiety it caused me of being back there, I walked into the house. I was stupid to not have listened to my instincts because something whacked me on the back of the head. I blacked out.

* * *

**Genette**

"So what were you, Cassie, and Blaze talking about?" I questioned for the fifth time since Nagase and I had gotten back to my house. I kept an eye on the bacon as I turned to my girlfriend. She put her book down. It was called _Clockwork Angel_. It took place in a fictional world called London, England. Where on earth do these authors come up with these names?

"I'm not telling you," Nagase retorted with a smile. "It was girl stuff."

"Like?" I prodded.

"Sweetie, don't burn the bacon," she pointed out. I quickly took the pieces of bacon off the pan and turned off the stove. She and I started eating it.

"Did you three stay up all night?"

"Yeah. Have you talked to her since you carried her to the room?"

"No, I should probably call her," I mused. I took out my cell phone and held onto the one button until it started ringing. I waited and waited but her phone went to voicemail. In annoyance, I hung up.

"Not answering?" Nagase asked. I shook my head. "She probably fell asleep again and you know she's dead to the world when she's asleep."

I laughed but something was telling me that something wasn't right. Blaze and I had always shared some sort of sibling telepathy-like thing with each other. We knew when the other was in danger or if the other was troubled even if we were hundreds of miles away from each other.

"I'm going to call Harling, see if she's at the palace," I said. I called him and he picked up.

"Hello, Genette," He greeted pleasantly.

"Hello, sir. Is Blaze there?" I inquired.

"No, she left last night. Why?"

"She's not answering her cell. Okay, thank you. Goodbye, sir." I hung up and called Blaze's house phone. I was getting more worried by the minute. She didn't pick up her home phone either. This wasn't like Blaze. She was always good about answering her phone.

"She still not answering?" Nagase asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"No. I'm going to go over to her house and see what's up," I announced.

"I'll come with you," Nagase said softly. We got dressed and I drove to Blaze's house. There was a sense of foreboding creeping farther into my mind, and it didn't help that when I pulled into my sister's driveway, her front door was wide open. Nagase and I jumped out and ran inside. We ran through the house, calling out Blaze's name and checking every possible place she could be. My sister was nowhere to be found.

I went back to the front door and noticed Blaze's cell phone lying next to the wall. I hadn't noticed it when I came in. I picked up her IPhone. The screen was cracked which told me right then and there Blaze was gone. She never left anywhere without her cell phone.

"Nagase!" I yelled. She came running. "Call Harling, tell him Blaze is gone."

"What do you mean _gone_?" Nagase demanded fearfully.

"I mean she's missing. Someone has Blaze."

* * *

**Blaze**

My mind was hazy but I was able to figure out that I was being carried by my arms and legs by some very strong people; I couldn't see anything which made me panic. I started thrashing about and using all my strength.

"Damn, she woke up already. Otto didn't hit her hard enough," a man grunted. I was losing the struggle and the more I fought, the more I was able to figure out that the reason I couldn't see was because there was a blindfold covering my eyes. Of course, that didn't help me with the fact that I had been kidnapped and was being carried by a bunch of what I presumed was men. The blindfold was loosening and that made me fight harder.

"She's feisty," another guy muttered. On instinct, I twisted my body. You could say I found the inner alligator within me and did a death-roll.

"What the hell? She's twisting!" the first guy shouted. I did it repeatedly and it helped get the blindfold off. It was dark out but the moon was shining brightly. I was able to count six men around me, all trying to keep a firm grasp on either my arms or legs.

Somehow, I was able to make them drop me and I immediately bolted. My arms were tied behind my back making it hard for me to run. That doesn't mean I didn't try. I ran a mercurial path and it worked for a while until one of them threw a well-aimed, good-sized rock at my head. It knocked me down and knocked me out.

I woke up with a groan. My hands were free and I was on some blanket. All I could see was black which scared me more than anything. I could handle the silence, I could handle knowing I was trapped and probably lost. I couldn't handle not being able to see.

"Miss?" a voice whispered. I jumped about a foot in the air.

"Who's there?" I demanded, my voice sounding way stronger than I felt.

"My name's Henry. Are you okay?" he inquired.

"I feel like I got run over by a semi but good nonetheless," I replied.

"From what I heard, you caused quite a commotion. They were talking about how you were running all over the place and they kept diving to get you but they kept missing. Oh, and your nickname by them is Gator Girl right now since they don't know your real name and apparently you death-rolled them?" I heard the amusement in his voice.

"Yeah, I watch the show _Gator Boys_ all the time and the alligators were always death-rolling them so I guess it unconsciously entered my mind," I admitted sheepishly. Henry laughed. "So are you a prisoner too or…?"

He sighed. "Yes, ma'am. I don't know how long I've been here. They brought me straight from the hospital to here."

"You were in the hospital?"

"Yeah. I was in some sort of accident I think. I don't honestly know. I have amnesia and I couldn't even remember my name or how old I was when I woke up. Two guys were there and the first thing I said is 'You're not my fiancée.' They laughed and said they were friends of my fiancée. I can't believe I believed them… I don't think my fiancée's friends would lock me up in some basement, cellar, whatever the hell this place is."

"Do you know why you're here?" I queried, feeling carefully around for everything around me. My hand connected with a wall to my right but there was empty space to my left.

"No idea; they keep saying I know everything, and I asked everything of what, and they never reply. It's annoying as hell."

"Are we the only ones here or are there others?"

"No, we're the only ones here. I was the only one here until you came. Don't take this the wrong way but I'm glad I have someone to talk to."

"I completely understand. I don't understand why they have a civilian as a prisoner though," I said.

"The silence was killing me. I mean, could they at least play some rock n' roll or rap? They could also give better food other than bread, a really watered down soup, and water," Henry ranted. "And I'm not complaining. What I'm doing now is not complaining."

"Then what is it?" I chuckled.

"They are requests for improvement," he claimed. "Anyways, I never got your name. What should I call you?"

I hesitated, deciding on whether he should call me by my callsign or my real name. I decided my real name was a safer bet. "Elizabeth. Call me Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth. That's a really pretty name," He complimented.

"Thank you," I replied.

"So why do they want you?"

"Probably because of my security clearance but that's a story for another time."

At that moment, a door opened and someone grabbed me. Naturally, I flipped out.

"You're coming with me," the guy ordered as I struggled. I tried going dead weight on him to drag him to the floor but this guy must've been the freaking Hulk or John Cena because he wasn't fazed one bit. He dragged me up the stairs, put me in a chair, and tied my hands behind my back.

"What's your name?" The guy demanded. I looked around the room. He wasn't the only one there. I counted eleven other men. Three were blondes, four had black hair, four were brunette, and one was a ginger. The ginger was the one that had dragged me up I was able to figure out.

"Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth what?"

"Elizabeth what," I repeated, attempting to confuse him. It worked.

"What?"

"What?" I asked.

"What's your last name?!"

"Oh, why didn't you just say that in the first place? It's not like I'm a mind reader dude."

"You will not address me as 'dude' again. You got that?" Ginger demanded.

"Deal, Ginger," I chirped. I heard a few snickers and glanced around the room. A few of the men were trying to hide their smirks.

"Halt die Klappe!" Ginger shouted. So he was Belkan. That explained so much.

"So you're Belkan? Hola!" I greeted.

"That's Sapin," Ginger pointed out in annoyance.

"I know. I just wanted to spice up the conversation."

He gave me a 'you're crazy' look. I had a strange urge to tell him crazy is my middle name. I resisted. "Again, what's your last name?"

I looked down at the floor trying to think of something they wouldn't expect me to say. I prevented myself from smiling as I remembered something from the _Hunger Games_ movie. "That is mahogany!" I said suddenly. Looking up, I was satisfied with their stupefied looks.

"It's oak," one of the blondes said bluntly. His response made me grin.

"No, it's mahogany," I wrangled.

"Enough of this nonsense!" Ginger shouted. I gave him an innocent look.

"What? We were just having a pleasant conversation," I said.

"Last name. Now!" He ordered menacingly. At least that was the way he was trying to come across. He didn't really scare me.

"You _do_ know there are people looking for me right?" I said.

"They might be looking but they won't find you," Ginger declared.

"Yeah, you keep thinking that. It's not like you just kidnapped a military officer with the highest security clearance possible," I said sarcastically. "There are going to be people looking for me."

"Put her back in her room. We will get it out of you, Elizabeth. You can count on that," Ginger assured.

"I've met kittens more frightening than you," I retorted. Two of the blondes came and locked me in my room down in the basement. I sighed.

"Elizabeth? Are you okay?" Henry's tentative voice queried.

"I'm fine."

"Did they hurt you?"

"No… not yet. They will sooner or later. They play mind games first, then they get physical if that doesn't work. I'm pretty tough minded so it would take a lot to break me. I've seen a lot so…" I trailed off. "I'm going to go to sleep. I'm tired. Good night, Henry."

"Good night, Miss Elizabeth."

I smiled. "Just call me Elizabeth."

"All right… Elizabeth."

And after that was said, I fell asleep.

* * *

**So, I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter. I wonder if Henry is a good guy or a bad guy just pretending to be good? Honestly, I haven't decided yet. I'm completely winging this part. Please review!**


	34. The Superior

**So, I have some bad news… first, school started meaning updates will be sporadic. Second, this story is almost over. There's only about one or two chapters after this one…**

**Good news though! Once I finish this story, I will edit all the chapters in script form and then post this on another website where you can have pictures, and moving ones at that! I'll let you know when it's up on that website in case you want to see what celebrities would play the characters.**

**Quote of the Chapter:  
**"**I just want to get out of this ejection seat and into a hot tub."  
****~Chopper**

* * *

Chapter 34: The Superior

**Blaze**

I woke up with a jolt when someone hit my arm.

"Here's your meal," a grouchy voice announced. I had a tray shoved roughly into my hands and then the door shut.

"Hello to you, too!" I shouted sarcastically. Someone chuckled, making me jump. "Henry?"

"Hey Elizabeth," he said with amusement.

"Did you get a meal?"

"Yep. Another piece of bread, watered down soup, and water. I'm getting really sick of this meal. The least they could do is give us some butter or _something_!" Henry ranted. I tasted the soup and I think it really was just chicken broth or something. It was pretty much tasteless. The bread was stale and I agreed with Henry, it needed butter. The water… well, tasted like water. At least it didn't seem as if it was poisoned or anything.

"So, since I have a feeling we're going to be stuck here for a while, who are you? Why do the assbutts upstairs want with you?" he inquired.

"Assbutts?" I laughed.

"I don't know where that came from," he confessed sheepishly.

"I like it. Well, I have top security clearance in Osea. I have the same clearance as the President so that's probably why. Any big secret I most likely know. Of course, there is so much damn information that it's hard to keep up with and to remember it all."

"What's your area of expertise?"

"What do you mean?"

"What topic do you know the most about? I can't give you any examples because I don't remember anything… at least not much."

"What do you remember?" I purposely wanted to avoid any questions on what I knew. I didn't want those bloody Belkans getting any useful information out of me.

"I had a fiancée," he admitted, sounding somewhat wistful.

"Do you remember what she was like or what she looked like?"

"Not really. I think she had brown hair. I keep thinking there was a kid but I don't know if it's mine or not. I don't know. My mind is really jumbled up. I can't make sense of most of the things and thoughts whirling around in my head. What about you? Are you engaged? Married? Taken? Single? Single and ready to mingle? What?"

I gave a small laugh. "I'm single, not ready to mingle."

"Why not?"

I hesitated, not wanting to go into Chopper's death. I hated talking about it. Henry noticed my silence because he asked, "Elizabeth?"

"Sorry… I, uh, was just thinking. I, um, I was engaged a few months ago," I admitted.

"_Was_?"

"My fiancé died in a plane crash. He was a fighter pilot… my third in command. We were doing a flyby over November stadium. We were armed just in case any enemies came but none of us thought that would happen. We were so far inland and Osea's air defense system is one of the top in the world. I thought there was no way we could be attacked."

"And you were?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes. Ambushed is a better way to put it," I said bitterly. "I think there were at least forty planes total that attacked us. We destroyed about seventy five percent before one of them finally hit my fiancé. He didn't go down immediately… he kept flying and when my second in command told him to bail out over the stadium so the plane would drop there and not on the houses, he stalled. He wanted to make sure that there weren't many people around when the plane fell. His decision cost him his life. His plane's ejection system malfunctioned and he crashed into the stadium. Last thing he said to me was 'I love you.' He laughed you know… he knew that he wasn't going to make it and he laughed when our AWACS told him to keep trying and flying. My fiancé was a hoot. He was the only guy I knew who could insult the top brass without getting into too much trouble with them."

"How long did y'all date?"

"Barely a month. It was a whirlwind courtship. We were at a party his family was hosting and he and I snuck out and went to the hammock. He asked me while we were lying down on it and I freaked out so much that I tipped the hammock over and we fell onto the ground. We both started laughing and of course, I said yes. We had known each other for a long time though. He was my brother's best friend since they were fifteen years old or something. I had always had a crush on him but I kept it to myself." As I listened to myself talk, I could hear how wistful I sounded. Apparently, so did Henry.

"That really was a whirlwind courtship… but by the way you talk about him, it's really obvious how much you loved him and I'm sure he would sound the same talking about you."

"I would like to think so," I answered shyly. "I still wear the ring he gave me. I can't seem to bring myself to sell it. It's one of the few things he gave me. Living on a military base, it's hard to give gifts to people so I treasure anything he gave me."

"That's understandable. I'm really sorry about that. Neither you nor him deserved that fate, him losing his life and you losing the love of your life."

"Fate's a bitch… Pardon my language. I don't like to cuss but sometimes no other word will suffice."

Henry laughed. "I completely understand."

"Thank god," I said. I finished my stale, tasteless piece of bread and finished the soup (if you can even call it that). My water was really helpful because I had been pretty thirsty.

"So what do you like to do? I mean, hobbies and whatnot?" he queried, sounding genuinely interested it. A thought flashed across my head that Henry might just be acting as a prisoner and anything I said he told the Belkans upstairs. But just as quickly as the thought came, I denied the possibility. There was something about Henry that told me that he was in the same boat I was.

"I like to read, I absolutely love to write. Um, I like to hike and play football and soccer and go horseback riding."

"What position in football would you want to play?"

"Halfback. I love running. I'm not the best at catching but I can do it."

"What books do you like to read? Any particular genre?"

"I like any book really, but I'm more into science fiction and mysteries. I love a good mystery book."

"And what do you like to write?"

"Fiction stories. I have a whole book at my house comprised of nothing but short stories. I've been planning on writing a book about these two friends that become pen pals in first grade and they keep in touch. Finally, they meet one day on a vacation and then they leave and a spark starts between the two except they are both geographically undesirable for each other. I don't know; I'm still working out the details."

"That actually sounds really interesting. I'd read it," Henry claimed.

"Thanks, so-" I was cut off when Henry gave a short shout. "Henry?!"

"I'm fine. I'll be back," he answered, sounding resigned and I knew he was being led away to be interrogated. I waited impatiently for him to get back. I hated how the Belkans were using an innocent civilian. And why him? Why, of all the billions of people in the world, why did they choose Henry? I shut off my mind and wondered if anyone had noticed I was gone?

… How long had I been gone? There was no light whatsoever in my room, there was no clock, there was absolutely nothing to help me. I hated this. Again, I didn't mind the silence and not knowing where I was and knowing that there was probably no escape, but I didn't like not being able to see, and that meant anything. Maybe I could convince one of the Belkans to tell me what time it is when I go up next.

"Go to hell," Henry's voice snapped suddenly. I heard the door open and clang shut.

"Henry?"

"Hey Elizabeth," he said tiredly.

"Did they hurt you?"

"A little. Knocked me upside the head quite a bit but that's because I kept insulting their mothers. They get very irked when you do that," he mused which made me chuckle.

That's when my door opened. Someone grabbed my arms and tied my hands behind my back.

"Hey, is that you Ginger?" I chirped.

"My name isn't Ginger," he retorted.

"Sorry but I don't know your real name," I pointed out, "so it's going to stay Ginger until you decide to tell me otherwise."

He didn't reply as he tied led me up the stairs. The bright light hurt my eyes and I squinted. Ginger brought me to the room I had been in the last time and tied me in the chair.

"This is all very cliché, you know. Tying someone in a chair and interrogating them," I noted. The Belkans looked at each with a "what the hell" expression which made me smirk slightly.

"Hey, since I have a feeling I'm going to be here for a while, can y'all at least tell me your names? Then I don't have to go Blondie One or Blondie Four and Brunette Two or Black-Haired Dude One. So?" I prodded.

They hesitated.

"My name is Ludwig," one of the blondes said with a cocky smile. "I'm only telling you this because you're right, you will be here for a long time."

The others followed. The two other blondes were Manfred and Rudolph. Heinrich, Viktor, Johann, and Oswald were the black-haired guys. Ernst, Dieter, Kristof, and Otto were the brunettes.

"So, you're Otto. Contrary to what the others are saying, you knocked me out plenty good enough. Believe me," I told him. I turned to the only one who hadn't said his name. "So, Ginger, are you going to tell me what your name is?"

"Augustus," he replied. Wow, I wasn't expecting it to be that easy…

"Really? You're just going to tell me? No going all mimey on me?"

"Mimey?"

"You know, acting like a mime, saying nothing," I explained. He rolled his eyes. "So what exactly are we waiting for? Aren't you supposed to start interrogating me or something?"

Augustus gave me a wicked grin. "We're letting the boss handle _you_."

"Why? Am I too much to handle for y'all? Not very manly now is it."

He didn't reply.

"May I ask y'all something?" I questioned.

"You asking permission? That's a first," Manfred muttered.

"Could you possibly upgrade the food? I mean, it really is quite bland," I requested.

"You want us to upgrade the food? So what would you recommend?" Heinrich inquired in mock seriousness.

"Ever heard of In-N-Out? It's absolutely incredible. Best burgers ever!"

"And where would we find this place?" Kristof asked.

"They're all over Osea, mainly in Oured. I suggest you go there. You know, get a burger, get caught, tell the Osean military where I am, the whole shebang."

"You talk too much," Dieter told me.

"Surprisingly it's only Belkans that have ever said that to me. Believe it or not, I have nothing against the Belkans, it's only certain people like yourselves that are trying to plan world domination or whatever."

Viktor walked up to me; god he was tall. He towered over me. He had to be a least six foot eight, I swear!

"What's up, Krum?" I gave him a head nod.

"Krum?"

"You know, Viktor Krum from the _Harry Potter_ series. Has anyone told you that you look like him? Viktor I mean. Funny you two have the same names. What is your last name anyways?"

"Shut up," he growled.

"But you enjoy it _so much_. Why should I deprive you of my incessant babbling when it clearly delights you _so much_?"

Viktor grabbed a handful of my hair and painfully yanked my head back. Leaning in close, he admonished, "When I tell you to shut up, you listen to me."

I got ready to spit in his face but was interrupted when a man shouted, "Viktor!"

I couldn't see the man but I didn't recognize the voice. Maybe he was the 'Boss' that Augustus had mentioned.

Viktor snarled before letting me go and stalking to the other side of the room. He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. Me being me, I stuck my tongue out at him. I know, it was childish but at the moment, I could care less. I looked up and barely prevented my mouth from dropping open.

I collected myself quickly and raised an eyebrow. "Waldemar Rald?"

* * *

**Nagase**

It had been three days since Blaze had disappeared. We were all going out of our minds with worry. None of us had slept save for the few moments we went without caffeine for five minutes. That's literally what we were living on, that and a few Subway sandwiches that we had delivered. And even then, we forced ourselves to eat. I could barely eat because I felt so sick to my stomach from worry.

None of us had been allowed to leave Versailles when President Harling had found out Blaze went missing. We were pretty much on lockdown. He was scared that someone had found out we were the Razgriz and was out to get us.

Genette was restless and the few times we weren't talking about where Blaze was and trying to find out where she was, he would pace the halls aimlessly. He once walked into a utility closet because he wasn't paying attention.

Jason Banks went absolutely nuts when he found out and went on a thirty minute rampage just asking how it happened.

Cassie and I were just sort of numb. We were like robots, going through everything because it was routine. We didn't think of what we were doing, we just did it.

Snow and Grimm were almost as bad as Genette with the restlessness. Whereas Genette would walk around, Grimm and Snow would tend to sit down and fidget unyieldingly.

Pixy, although outwardly he appeared calm, anyone who knew him could tell he was anxious because of the whole situation. It was the little things that I noticed, him tapping his fingers on the desk, crossing and uncrossing his legs, rocking back and forth in his chair.

Pops, Andersen, Geller, Nastasya, and Bartlett were the only ones that were pretty much keeping a level head during this whole thing (besides Harling). They were the ones forcing the rest of us to eat; they even had to force Pixy to eat.

Blaze's parents had been in Emmeria visiting cousins. When Genette had called them in near hysteria, her mom started crying and her father started asking what happened. Miserably, Genette said he didn't know. They had packed and gotten on a flight that night; from what I heard, Mr. Banks nearly duked it out with one of the agents when they were trying to get a ticket home. I wasn't sure why but that's what I had heard.

Who had kidnapped Blaze? And why? Of all people, why her? Did they know who she was? Did they know she was the leader of the Razgriz? Did they know that she was the pretty much the one who had sent Ofnir and Grabacr to prison? Why her? She had already been through enough. She didn't need to be kidnapped too.

I walked into the Cabinet Room where all serious discussions were held. It was only the Razgriz Squadron, Geller, Pops, Andersen, Genette, Bartlett, Pixy, and Jason. We couldn't get anyone else involved because we were still a top security secret that barely anyone knew. And by anyone, I mean me and the ones in the Cabinet Room and Blaze of course. This was going to be hard. It had been decided earlier that Blaze needed to be tracked down first before we sent in a rescue team. Geller had also adamantly insisted he be part of rescuing her. He stated that if there were Belkans involved, he could be a translator if need be. Harling finally consented after Geller refused to give up.

Today we would start trying ways to find her. I didn't know how we were going to do it, and to be honest, I wasn't feeling very hopeful.

* * *

**Blaze**

Rald looked at me with a barely visible smile on his face.

"Looks like introductions aren't necessary," Rald said.

My eyes shifted over to the guy standing next to him. "Henri Rald?"

The guy looked at me with blue eyes. They reminded me of Chopper's…

"How do you know me?"

"Who doesn't?" I countered. I looked back at Rald Senior and looked him over. I don't think he had missed a meal in his life… "Hey, Rald Senior, um, have you ever heard of a Bowflex? I heard they're very effective."

Henri Rald grinned and I heard a few snickers from the guys in the room. Rald looked at me furiously.

"How dare you insult me like that!" He growled.

"Well," I said with a smirk, "at least your son finds me funny."

Rald hit Henri on the back side of the head… hard. I cringed slightly. Henri instantly sobered up and obtained a stony expression. I caught his eye though and gave him a sympathetic smile. He looked away quickly.

"So, you're Elizabeth. You're the one giving my men trouble," Rald began, walking towards me. I met his cocky expression with one of my own.

"I was told by them I wasn't causing trouble. They actually didn't go into detail about what I was causing. Yo, Augustus, was it true what Henry said that y'all nicknamed me Gator Girl because I death-rolled you guys?"

"I never said that," Henri declared.

"I know you didn't, the Henry downstairs said it. Wow, I just realized there are two Henrys. This could become very confusing," I commented. "Anyways, back to my original question. Is that true Augustus?"

As usual, he said nothing.

"How old are you?" Rald inquired.

"Young enough to know better, but old enough to do it anyway."

"That's an old comeback."

"Yeah, but I'm young enough to know that I shouldn't be sarcastic to y'all but I'm old enough to do it anyways."

"What's your job?"

"You would love to know, wouldn't you?"

"That's why I'm asking."

"Let's just say that my job pretty much guarantees my saving. Y'all are really stupid kidnapping me, just FYI," I pointed out.

"And why is that?"

"Nice try. I'm not saying."

"You say 'y'all' a lot. You're from southern Osea, aren't you?" Man, Rald was good…

"Just because I say 'y'all' doesn't mean I'm from there. I know a lot of people that hang around southerners and they pick up the lingo."

"Okay, but I hear the lilt of your southern accent."

"It's hard to lose. Believe me."

"So you are from there?"

"I'll say I lived there but I won't say I'm from there. I could be from there, I could not be. Your choice. So clarify something for me, please."

"Yes?"

"I have to know because Ludwig and I had an argument the last time I was interrogated and I must know…"

"Well?" Rald prodded.

"Is this floor oak or mahogany?" I asked with as serious of a face as I could muster. Rald looked at me with a confused expression.

Regaining his composure, he ordered, "Put her away."

"Aw, so soon? But I enjoyed my time up here!" I whined.

"Henri! Put her away, now!" Rald barked. I saw Henri's jaw clench before he walked over to me. Unlike Mr. Ginger Augustus, he was surprisingly gentle. He led me out of the room.

"Sorry you had to see me like that. I swear I'm not that psychotic in person," I told him with a small smile. To my surprise, he returned it.

"I found you very funny actually," he admitted as he opened the door.

"Is your head okay? I didn't mean for you to get slapped."

"It's fine. He's hit harder."

"_Harder_? He's hit you _harder_?" I demanded incredulously.

"Yes, but it's no big deal. I'm fine," he said nonchalantly.

"That doesn't make it right."

Henri said nothing else as he led me to the stairwell, down the stairs, and to my cell. He unbound my hands. I rubbed my wrists where the handcuffs had chafed maliciously; it wouldn't surprise me if there were blisters forming.

"Thank you for not manhandling me," I said.

"You're welcome. Good bye, Elizabeth," Henri said.

"Bye, Henri," I replied before he shut my door.

"Elizabeth?"

"Hi, Henry… other Henry. God, two Henrys. This is going to make me really confused," I grumbled as I tumbled onto my bed. I stretched out on my back, placing my left arm under my head and resting my right arm on my stomach.

"Who is he?"

"He's Henri Rald, Waldemar Rald's son."

"Rald… that name sounds familiar."

"If you're from Osea or Sapin or Ustio or any countries in that area, and even Yuktobania, then you'll know who Rald is. He led the Rald Party nineteen years ago after an economic panic in Belka. He turned it into a military dictatorship pretty much. Then, four years later, Belka attempted to gain more land and it led a mass offensive, taking over countries within a couple days. Ustio was the only one holding on so this fighter that was later nicknamed the Demon Lord, he and his buddy, callsign Pixy, were mercenaries for Ustio and they fought the Belkans. Slowly, Ustio regained its territory back and then the rest of the countries fought back with the new morale and defeated Belka. That was the end of the Rald party. There was a group within the Rald party called the Gray Men. They're still around. They used to own North Osea Gründer Industries but they were captured at the end of the Circum-Pacific War. They were part of the reason why a squadron in the war was accused of treason."

I waited for Henry to say something back but he was silent. I wondered if I had unintentionally put him to sleep.

"Henry?" I said hesitantly.

"I'm here, I was just thinking. Has anyone told you that you're a great story teller?"

I laughed. "No, because I usually go off on a tangent about something in the story and I forget what I was talking about in the first place."

"Then you did a fantastic job this time. Any more stories?"

"About what?"

"I don't know… funny things that have happened to you?"

"Well, one time I went to see the Rat Pack is Back and the guy that played Dean Martin, he flirted with me the whole time… it was creepy because I was only sixteen at the time. He was thirty I think. He had no idea how old I was but he aged me so much it was borderline offensive! Apparently, when I wore a skirt, a spaghetti strap tank top, heels, and curled my hair, I looked way older than sixteen."

Henry laughed.

"Another time, I was in front of a famous hotel called the _Paris_, and I was taking my picture with it in the background and this random guy came over and jumped into the picture and put his arm around me. I was too shocked to do anything so I just started grinning. Again, I was sixteen when this happened. The guy was either really brave or really stupid."

"Why?" Henry questioned drolly.

"He put his arm around me in front of my mom _and_ my dad _and _my brother _and_ his girlfriend. She was pissed. Of course, the picture didn't take so he left and said have a good time. I can't say I minded he wanted to be in the picture. He was pretty cute, I'll admit to that."

"You have some very interesting things happen to you, don't you?"

"That's an understatement. When we get out of this hell hole, I'll go into more detail."

"I'm going to hold you to that," he told me.

"I know. So, is any of your memory coming back?"

"Not really. Just flashes of random people but they happen so quickly that I don't get a good look at them and I can't remember what they look like. I know there's a brown-haired girl in my life, and I know she's extremely important to me. I'm guessing she's my fiancée."

"When we get out of here, I'll help you find her. I'm sure she'll be ecstatic to see you again."

"I think she thinks I'm dead; I don't know how long I've been here but it's been since December. That I know. I had just been released from the hospital and they were driving me through some battle zone. The people were flipping out over this squadron called the Rabies or something."

"The Razgriz you mean?"

"That's it! Anyways, I grabbed a hold of the mic and said 'That's one big tunnel.' Then the guy knocked me out and I woke up here."

"So that was you! I heard you!" I exclaimed. Suddenly, a revelation dawned on me. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Did you say you've been here since December?"

"Yes, ma'am. Why?"

"You've been here for almost six months!"

"… I have? Wow. No wonder it feels like eternity."

"I'm going to kill those Belkans…" I growled.

"They have let me get some sunshine. They have to blindfold me because the light is too intense on my eyes since I've been in the dark for so long. It's not often but it has happened. I'm sure I'm so white I look like a freaking snowman," Henry joked. "I would love to see the outside again."

"I bet… Henry?"

"Hmm?"

"I promise you, you'll get out of here."

"I know we will. If you don't mind, I'm going to go to sleep. I'm having the hardest time keeping my eyes open but trust me, it's not because of you. When we're both awake again, I want more stories; they're very entertaining!"

"I'm having issues keeping my eyes open, too. Talk to you soon Henry."

I shut my eyes and was secretly glad he hadn't caught on to the true meaning of my statement. I knew without a doubt that Henry would be getting out of here alive. As for me, my chances were slim… especially with my mouth.

Things were not looking good for me. I needed to be found soon if I wanted to stay alive.

My mind traveled to Henri Rald. There had been something in his eyes that had told me he would've chosen to be anywhere but in that room when I had been interrogated. Maybe, just maybe, I could turn him into an ally.

I was certainly going to try.

* * *

**Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter! Any guesses on who Henry is? I know it's confusing having two Henrys but too bad. At least their names are spelled differently right? Please review if you want Blaze to live! Her life is in your hands ;)**


	35. Kirk

**So, in honor of Ben Webster's birthday, I have decided to update early. Happy birthday! I would say how old but that's personal and I only know your age because you told me. **

**ANYWHO, y'all know the drill: READ, ENJOY, **_**REVIEW!**_

* * *

Chapter 35: Kirk

**Blaze**

I was drugged. The Belkans had finally resorted to drugging me. I don't know what it was but it was only making me sleepy and unfortunately for them, when I get sleepy, I get grouchy, which means I get even more snappy and sarcastic than usual. Sucks for them.

I wasn't sure if they were drugging Henry but by the way our conversations weren't lasting near as long as they used to because we kept getting tired, I figured he was being drugged as well, giving me another reason to want to hurt all the Belkans on the floor above me… well, except for Henri. I wasn't sure what to make of him quite yet. He acted as if he wanted to help me but didn't know how. It was almost as if he didn't want to be a part of his father's new plot for world domination (at least I think that's what Rald was planning).

"Elizabeth?" Henry's groggy voice mumbled.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"Besides being pissed off that they're drugging me, fine. You?"

"Same as you… um, I-I think I have a brother."

"Did you have another memory flash?"

"Yeah… it was brief but just enough for me to know that he's a part of my family."

"I bet he'll be so happy to see you when you get out of here," I assured.

"_We_. _We_ are going to get out of here," Henry corrected.

I smiled. "Yeah, we."

"Why do you always say 'you' and not 'we'?" he inquired curiously.

"Because I'm not in a good predicament here… you have an advantage not being able to remember anything. I'm at a disadvantage because I _know_ things, things that could jeopardize my country. Once the Belkans get the information out of me, they will kill me. It's how they work."

"I won't let that happen," Henry promised. Again, I smiled but only because of the sincerity in his words. He sounded like he actually could.

"Thanks," I said genuinely. I had been going to ask how was he going to break down the concrete door blocking him from the stairs and how he was going to get past all the guards with ten guns on them but I didn't feel like it. I fell back asleep.

When I woke up, I was being shaken.

"Time to get up," a familiar voice said, sounding almost gentle.

I groaned. "I don't want to Henri. I just want to sleep."

"I know but if I can't get you up, they're going to send one of the other guys and they won't be as nice as me, so come on. Don't make me carry you," he said, his tone slightly teasing. That snapped me awake and I allowed him to lead me upstairs.

Rald was there, conversing with Viktor who grinned wickedly my way when I came into the room. I stuck my tongue out at him again.

"Do that again and I will cut out your tongue," he warned menacingly. I made a face at him but kept my tongue to myself. Henri tied me to the chair, loosely enough so that the handcuffs and rope didn't hurt me. I sent him an almost imperceptible, thankful nod. He saw it and winked at me.

"So, are you ready to tell us anything?" Rald inquired. He walked up to me and trailed his finger along my back. I forced myself not to fidget. I didn't like him touching me.

"Yes," I said. The men looked surprised.

"Go on ahead," Rald urged.

"You're stupid, all of you."

"That's what you wanted to tell us?" Rald demanded in a controlled voice.

"That's just how I'm starting out of what I'm going to tell you."

"Well?"

"People are looking for me," I claimed.

"What makes you so sure?" Viktor sneered.

"Because you kidnapped an Osean official with security clearance that matches the President's. Believe me, I have people looking for me and they won't stop until they do," I warned cheerfully.

"They won't find you," Otto said.

"Yes they will. You Belkans aren't the only smart ones in the world," I replied. "You have a spy in the group. They're helping me and they're going to get me out of here."

"You're bluffing," Rald claimed but he looked dubious.

"Do I look like I'm bluffing?" I gave him a serious look. He jerked into action immediately, ordering everyone to line up in the room next door except for Henri. Apparently, just because Henri is his son is a good enough reason to not interrogate him. My plan was working perfectly.

"Henri, watch her!" Rald barked as he ushered everyone into the room next door. He slammed the door shut on his way out. I let out a sigh of relief.

"That was stupid," Henri said quietly.

"I know," I answered.

"He's going to know you were bluffing and you're going to pay for it. I won't be able to stop him."

"Do you want to?" I asked cautiously.

"I hate this… all of this. I don't want to be a part of it. I want to be a journalist. I want to travel the world and write and take pictures. I don't want to interrogate innocent people… although I have a feeling you're not completely innocent."

"I have a lot of skeletons in my closet, but I'm not going to say what they are."

He was silent for a few minutes as we listened to Rald shouting next door. Henri, who had been leaning against the wall facing me, pushed himself off of it and kneeled in front of me. "Were you serious about the people looking for you?"

"Dead serious," I answered. "Henri, you and I both know that unless I have help, I'm not going to be alive much longer."

"I know…" he admitted solemnly, looking down.

"Help me," I whispered. His eyes whipped up to look at me.

"What?" He hissed in shock.

"Help me. If I'm found, they're going to arrest you, no matter what you did. Even if you do nothing to me, they will still arrest you for being associated with your father and his troops; I can get you leniency. I wasn't kidding when I said I have clearance as high as the President's. People _listen_ to me. I can vouch for your innocence, but only if you help me."

I realized I was pleading. I hadn't planned on doing that.

"What do you need me to do?" Henri questioned, completely shocking me.

"Is there any way you can send a message to President Harling? It can be encrypted. We have a super-genius code-breaker. He's Belkan so he could figure it out."

"I can find a way. It might take a few days but I can do it. What do you want me to put in it?"

"Put in that 'Blaze is alive', that you're helping me, that Rald's alive, and where we are. They will figure it out from there."

"I'll do it."

"Henri… if your father finds out, he'll kill you," I said quietly.

"I know, but I'd rather be dead than helping _him_. I want my revenge."

"For what?"

Henri looked murderous. "He murdered my mother."

My mouth dropped open from the shock of the statement. "Oh Henri…" I breathed. "Wh-what happened?"

"I witnessed the whole thing… he threatened me saying that if I told the truth, he'd kill me too, so I've been biding my time, waiting for the perfect chance to get my revenge. Now you have given me that opportunity; I would love nothing more than to see my father defeated. I will never be able to repay you," Henri whispered. His eyes had started out solemn, changed to angry, and were now soft and thankful. His mood changes vaguely reminded me of… well, me.

"Henri… whether I make it out alive or not, make sure Henry, the guy downstairs, make sure he gets out. Make sure he lives, okay?" I ordered.

"Promise. Hey, why do you want me to put Blaze in-"

Henri stopped short and I realized the shouting had stopped and footsteps were rapidly approaching the door. He shot away from me and barely managed to resume his earlier position before the door slammed open. Someone whacked me violently on the head, making me involuntarily gasp.

"You evil little twit!" Rald spat, grabbing my neck and forcing me to look up at him. I mustered a grin.

"I can't believe you fell for that. You're not as bright as people claim you to be. How did you ever take control over Belka?" I inquired drolly. His grip tightened on my neck; I was having difficulty breathing now.

"Why did you lie to me?" He barked.

"Take a breath mint," I retorted in a strained voice (from lack of air), "then I might answer."

Rald growled, released my neck, and stormed over to someone behind me. I knew what was coming.

Sure enough, someone once again hit me upside the head. However, this time, it was much more powerful and it knocked me almost unconscious. Aiming to get back downstairs, I pretended to black out. Luck was on my side as I heard Rald yell act Viktor for knocking me out and then ordering Henri to carry me downstairs. Someone untied me and gently lifted me up. My head was pounding with each footstep Henri took, resonating loudly in my head about a hundred times.

I was plunged into darkness and I knew we were in the basement. It didn't take long for me to be placed gingerly on my bed and for me to hear the door being shut.

"Elizabeth?!" Henry's worried voice questioned. I groaned in response. "Elizabeth! Please answer me!"

"Hi Henry," I said quietly.

"What happened?"

"Pissed them off more than usual," I replied, feeling groggily for the wall to my right so I could prop myself up against it.

"What did you do?"

"Told them there was someone on the inside helping me and so Rald interrogated his men, wasting precious time interrogating me. When he figured out I had lied, he got physical. If they want information, they should stop hitting me on the head. I don't have the brain cells to spare," I joked, or at least attempted to. "Oh, and then he tried to choke me."

"What?!"

"Yeah, but I'm fine."

"I don't think you are," Henry said cautiously.

"Why?"

"You sound… dazed."

"Henry. I was just knocked upside the head violently. I might be hard-headed but I'm not Iron Woman."

He laughed a little. "Get some sleep. You're gonna need it."

"Night, Henry."

I actually didn't go to sleep. I was too preoccupied with the fact that I had Henri Rald helping me escape this hell hole. It seemed too good to be true. It probably was.

My mind started racing to what I was hoping my friends would use to help them find me. I now realize I should've told you this sooner because it's pretty important but recently, Geller, along with other top officials, created a small microchip that could be implanted for a certain period of time into a person's body and then they could be tracked wherever they went. When coming up with a name, I had offered the codename of Kirk, which was Chopper's (now Pops') dog, so in case of emergency and one of us was curious if it was being used in a certain predicament, we could ask if Kirk was involved in anything recently or something like that and no one would know what we were talking about; if they asked, we could just say we were talking about a dog named Kirk that was in training to be a rescue dog.

Finally, exhaustion took over and I fell into a fitful sleep. I would wake up periodically, eat whatever they gave me which consisted of the same old stale bread, watered down soup, and water with a drug that made me sleepy, and then go back to sleep. I wasn't sure how much time had passed, whether it had only been hours, days, possibly weeks, but when I woke up for about the tenth time, I heard Henry conversing with someone.

"-concussion possibly. They hit her pretty well," Henry's voice said quietly.

"They're hitting her?" A strangely familiar voice demanded furiously. "I'm going to kill those sons of bitches."

"Do you know Elizabeth?" Henry queried.

"I'm her uncle's buddy."

That's when the voice registered in my head. I shot up into sitting position and nearly shouted, "Pixy?!"

* * *

**Genette**

We (me, Harling, the Razgriz, Cassie, Pops, Andersen, Geller, Pixy, Cipher, Bartlett, and Nastasya) had been arguing for about five hours now, discussing possibilities on where Blaze could be and who was holding her prisoner. We all figured it had to be a Belkan. It was the only solution that made sense, so we were looking for suspicious activity going on in Belka. Nothing new hit our radar. All of us were going absolutely crazy not knowing where Blaze was or if she was even alive. The prospect that she might not be alive petrified me. I didn't want to lose my sister.

Cipher was arguing that we needed to get the full military involved to find her when a security guard came in, looking cautiously curious.

"Sir, there's a message for you. I don't know what to make of it," the guard said. Harling stood up and took the message. When he looked down at it, his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

"This is just gibberish," he said.

"May I see it, sir?" Geller requested. Harling handed it to him and Geller studied it carefully. I stood next to him and looked at it, my mind wondering what the hell it was. The message read:

NCHZQ BD XQLQ. B HT XQCYBIR XQL RQP PXBD TQDDHRQ PE MEF. LHCS BD HCBKQ HIS BD XECSBIR XQL HIS HIEPXQL THI BI XEFDQ XBSSQI BI TEFIPHBID EV HIVHIR. XBSSQI NM PLQQD NFL XHD XQCBOE YPQL CHISBIR YHS HNEFP TBCQ HGHM. RQP XQLQ HDHY. NCHZQ SEQD IEP XHKQ CEIR. DXQ BD DPHCCBIR HIS BD LFIIBIR EFP EV PBTQ.

My mind hurt trying to make sense of the aptly called gibberish when suddenly, Geller snapped his fingers. "It's a cryptogram! Someone is trying to reach us but they don't want to be caught."

"You don't think it's Blaze… do you?" I queried, not wanting to believe we could be this lucky.

"I don't know, but there's one way to find out," Geller said. He grabbed a sheet of notepaper and a pencil and began scribbling furiously. "This is hard. It's a long one."

I studied it and recognized endings of 'BIR' a lot. I went through my head of endings that had three letters in them and the only one I could think of was '–ing.'

"Try putting '–ing' wherever you see BIR at the end of a word. It's repeated a lot. Just try it," I told Geller. He listened and the cryptogram looked like:

_NCHZQ BD XQLQ. B HT XQCYing XQL RQP PXBD TQDDHRQ PE MEF. LHCS BD HCBKQ HIS BD XECSing XQL HIS HIEPXQL THI BI XEFDQ XBSSQI BI TEFIPHBID EV HIVHIR. XBSSQI NM PLQQD NFP XHD XQCBOE YPQL CHISing YHS HNEFP TBCQ HGHM. RQP XQLQ HDHY. NCHZQ SEQD IEP XHKQ CEIR. DXQ BD DPHCCing HIS BD LFIIing EFP EV PBTQ._

"Well if BIR is equal to ' –ing,' then 'B' is 'i,' 'I' is 'n,' and 'R' is 'g.' Right?" Nagase rationalized. Geller agreed and went through the entire cryptogram, changing the letters. It then read:

_NCHZQ iD XQLQ. i HT XQCYing XQL gQP PXiD TQDDHgQ PE MEF. LHCS iD HCiKQ HnS iD XECSing XQL HnS HnEPXQL THn in XEFDQ XiSSQn in TEFnPHinD EV HnVHng. XiSSQn NM PLQQD NFP XHD XQCiOE YPQL CHnSing YHS HNEFP TiCQ HGHM. gQP XQLQ HDHY. NCHZQ SEQD nEP XHKQ CEng. DXQ iD DPHCCing HnS iD LFnning EFP EV PiTQ._

We were slowly making headway.

"I want all of you to go get some sleep," Geller said. "I'll have it figured out by the time you wake up and if I figure it out sooner, I'll come get you, I promise."

"I'm not leaving, not when we finally have a lead on Blaze," I declared heatedly.

"Genette, listen to me, I know you want to help your sister but you're not helping her by not taking care of yourself. Get some sleep."

I tried to argue but I knew he was right, so I reluctantly headed off to my room.

* * *

**Geller**

I was happy to see Genette finally going off to get some sleep. He needed it badly. I settled back down into figuring out the cryptogram. I hated these things; I don't know why, but I had never liked cryptograms. Looking at the message, I looked for the three letter words because those would be easier to figure out. The first one that I saw that had zoned in on was 'gQP.' The only two words that start with 'g' that I knew of were 'get' and 'got,' and I assumed immediately that the person was using proper grammar and so I decided to go with 'get,' which meant 'Q' was 'e' and 'P' was 't.' I was finally making some more headway. The new message read:

_NCHZe iD XeLe. i HT XeCYing XeL get tXiD TeDDHge tE MEF. LHCS iD HCiKe HnS iD XECSing XeL HnS HnEtXeL THn in XEFDe XiSSen in TEFntHinD EV HnVHng. XiSSen NM tLeeD NFt XHD XeCiOEYteL CHnSing YHS HNEFt TiCe HGHM. get XeLe HDHY. NCHZe SEeD nEt XHKe CEng. DXe iD DtHCCing HnS iD LFnning EFt EV tiTe._

I looked at the repeating word 'iD.' There were a few two lettered words that started with 'i' that I could think of so I ignored it. I move onto the three letter word 'HnS.' The only three letter word I could think of was 'and.' I rewrote the message again. 'H' would be 'a' and 'S' would be 'd.'

_NCaZe iD XeLe. i aT XeCYing XeL get tXiD TeDDage tE MEF. LaCd iD aCiKe and iD XECding XeL and anEtXeL Tan in XEFDe XiSSen in TEFntainD EV anVang. XiSSen NM tLeeD NFt XaD XeCiOEYteL Canding Yad aNEFt TiCe aGaM. get XeLe aDaY. NCaZe dEeD nEt XaKe CEng. DXe iD DtaCCing and iD LFnning EFt EV tiTe._

Now, because I had a lot of vowels, I could almost positively tell myself that 'D' meant 's.' If I was wrong, I would have to change it and that would be a pain but if this message did pertain to Blaze, I would not stop working.

_NCaZe is XeLe. i aT XeCYing XeL get tXis Tessage tE MEF. LaCd is aCiKe and is XECding XeL and anEtXeL Tan in XEFse XiSSen in TEFntains EV anVang. XiSSen NM tLees NFt Xas XeCiOEYteL Canding Yad aNEFt TiCe aGaM. get XeLe asaY. NCaZe dEes nEt XaKe CEng. sXe is staCCing and is LFnning EFt EV tiTe._

After the new addition of the letter 's,' the message started to give me a more ominous air. This was not going to be bearing much good news. I needed to work faster. My eyes narrowed in on the word 'tE.' 'To' was the only word that could fit so 'E' was 'o'. I started getting excited. I was blazing through this message. The new message read:

_NCaZe is XeLe. i aT XeCYing XeL get tXis Tessage to MoF. LaCd is aCiKe and is XoCding XeL and anotXeL Tan in XoFse XiSSen in ToFntains oV anVang. XiSSen NM tLees NFt Xas XeCiOoYteL Canding Yad aNoFt TiCe aGaM. get XeLe asaY. NCaZe does not XaKe Cong. sXe is staCCing and is LFnning oFt oV tiTe._

From there, I could easily decipher certain words. I figured out that 'V' was 'f,' 'F' was 'u,' and 'X' was 'h.' I finally transcribed it to:

_NCaZe is heLe. i aT heCYing heL get this Tessage to Mou. LaCd is aCiKe and is hoCding heL and anotheL Tan in house hiSSen in Tountains of anfang. hiSSen NM tLees Nut has heCiOoYteL Canding Yad aNout TiCe aGaM. get heLe asaY. NCaZe does not haKe Cong. she is staCCing and is Lunning out of tiTe._

Now I had nearly no trouble translating some of the words since they were almost self-explanatory. I figured out 'L' meant 'r,' 'T' meant 'm,' and 'C' meant 'l.'

_NlaZe is here. i am helYing her get this message to Mou. rald is aliKe and is holding her and another man in house hiSSen in mountains of anfang. hiSSen NM trees Nut has heliOoYter landing Yad aNout Tile aGaM. get here asaY. NlaZe does not haKe long. she is stalling and is running out of time._

At that point, I understood almost the whole message after I presumed that 'S' meant 'd' and 'N' meant 'b' and 'Z' meant 'z' and 'K' meant 'v' and 'Y' meant 'p.' Now my heart was pounding as what I knew would be my final transcription before knowing what the full message meant.

_blaze is here. i am helping her get this message to you. rald is alive and is holding her and another man in house hidden in mountains of anfang. hidden bM trees but has heliOopter landing pad about Tile aGay. get here asap. blaze does not have long. she is stalling and is running out of time._

And then I figured out the whole thing.

* * *

**Genette**

"Genette! Wake up! Get up!" Someone shouted. "I figured it out!"

When I didn't get up, the person gruffly shook me until my eyes opened. "What?" I snapped.

"I know where Blaze is!" Geller yelled ecstatically! That woke me up. I think I might have teleported to the door I was up so quickly. I ran to the discussion room and nearly tripped over nothingness from excitement.

"What does it say?!" I demanded. Everyone else was already there and they looked happy and grim at the same time. Cipher, who had been holding the note, handed it to me and I read it:

_Blaze is here. I am helping her get this message to you. Rald is alive and is holding her and another man in house hidden in mountains of Anfang. Hidden by trees but has helicopter landing pad about mile away. Get here ASAP. Blaze does not have long. She is stalling and is running out of time._

My jaw clenched as I finished reading. Now I understood the mixed emotions on my friends' faces. We knew where Blaze was but she was in grave danger.

"Damn it!" I shouted in aggravation, throwing the note on the table. "Well, what are we waiting for?! Let's go get her!"

"Do you have a plan?" Geller inquired.

"Go in and kick some Belkan ass! Specifically Rald's," I retorted.

"Listen, we have a plan already. Pixy is going to Anfang because he is certain that the Belkans want him as well. When he's captured, we're going to track him down and send in a battalion of three hundred soldiers to get Blaze, Pixy, and the other man they're holding."

"And I'm going?" I asked.

"No, you're staying here," Harling said.

"What?!" I yelled.

"You need to stay here, for your safety," Harling explained. "However, Geller is going to be a part of the battalion so that if anything is needed to be translated from Belkan to English, he can do it."

"So I have to wait here?"

"Yes."

"How the hell are we going to track Pix- oh," I said, as it dawned on me what we were going to use.

* * *

**Blaze**

"Elizabeth! You're awake. Finally," Pixy said, relief evident in his voice.

"Yeah. What the hell are you doing here? How did those bloody Belkans get you?"

"Long story…" he muttered.

"Well, we have a while, believe me," I pointed out.

"Elizabeth, I'm surprised you don't want to know about Kirk," Pixy mused, and that's when I realized why he didn't want to talk about his story. The whole thing was a setup for me, Henry, and Pixy to get rescued. I grinned.

"How is he?" I prodded anxiously.

"Great. He's coming along at an amazing pace!"

"Who's Kirk?" Henry asked.

"He's my mentor's dog. He's in training to become a rescue dog," I informed; it was the truth, but not the one that we were actually talking about if that makes sense. "I just love that dog to death."

"Ooh, okay. What type of dog is he?"

"Black Labrador. He's the sweetest dog in the world," I said wistfully. I looked to the direction I thought Pixy's voice was coming from. "Is he working right now?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. How long?"

"Uh, twelve hours max I think."

"Good."

We fell silent and I heard Henry's soft snoring.

"Pixy?" I said softly.

"Hmm?"

"I didn't want to say this with Henry awake but I don't think I have twelve hours left…"

"Don't say that," he chided sharply. "What made you say that?"

"I don't know… I feel like the Belkans have something planned."

"We're going to be rescued soon, I promise."

"They just need to come in time," I said. "Night, Pixy."

* * *

**Pixy**

I listened as Blaze's breathing slowed down. I knew she was asleep now. I was worried. How come she felt like she didn't have much time left? Everyone had told me Blaze had a wicked intuition… I hoped to god this was a false alarm of her intuition but mine told me it wasn't. I was scared, not for myself, but for Blaze. I wondered how close we were to being rescued.

Knowing there was no possible way to figure it out, I reluctantly shut my eyes.

I woke up to a scream.

"Get off! No! Damn it!" Blaze screamed. There was a lot of thrashing sounds coming from my right and I heard a grunt of pain and another violent sounding smack.

"Elizabeth?!" Henry shouted frantically.

"LET ME GO!" Blaze snapped.

"Elizabeth! What's going on?!" I demanded worriedly.

"Pixy!" her cry was far away and I figured she was on the stairs now. "It's happ-"

She was cut off by the slamming of a door. I could still hear her screaming though; it was soft but easily heard.

"Damn it!" Henry shouted in frustration, his fists connecting with what I assumed was the door. I was already out of my bed and attempting to find the door. I wasn't going to let them get her. I couldn't let them. My hand felt the handle for the door and I pulled. As I expected, nothing happened. I decided to forget pushing and pulling and use brute force. I kicked it. All I made was a dull thud sound. Henry was slamming something into his door.

"Hang on!" I ordered. Henry stopped banging the door with whatever and I realized Blaze had stopped screaming. I strained to hear anything but it was to no avail.

"Is she going to be okay?" Henry questioned, sounding anxious.

I lied, "She'll be fine. This is Elizabeth. She's tough."

But I knew Blaze had been right. She wasn't going to last much longer.

* * *

**Blaze**

I sighed huffily as Ginger and Otto tied me painfully tight to the chair.

"What's with the theatrics in waking me up?" I asked blandly.

Rald only smirked and motioned with his finger for someone to come forward. A girl came into my vision and I barely contained my surprise.

In a disgusted tone, I said, "Bailey? Bailey Cohen?"

* * *

**And the witch is back. I don't like Bailey. Hope you enjoyed the story and honestly, only four reviews for the last chapter? I'm disappointed. REVIEW! And happy birthday Ben Webster!**


	36. Liberation of a Demon

**Updates will be quicker because I've decided to just knock this story out because it's almost done. AND this story is now on Wattpad. I forget if I said this already but I'm going to post the link of my homepage… I still need to do that… I do it after I post this chapter…**

**KeyBladeMidnight:**** Thank you :) I don't like Bailey. I don't know anyone who does actually… and thank you!**

**Cartoony:**** I would tell you who she is but you figured it out :)**

**Just a Crazy-Man:**** Thank you!**

**RandomNumber523156:**** Thank you :) I would understand your review so much more if I knew what you references to Mario meant…**

**Shifty830:**** I had never heard of waterboarding until you mentioned it. Yowza, that's a good idea haha**

**Ben Webster:**** Thank you! Glad you liked it! No one likes Bailey haha**

**Wildcat717:**** Thank you :)**

**Quote of the Chapter:  
**"**Love is like war: easy to begin but hard to end."  
****~Unknown**

* * *

Liberation of a Demon

**Blaze**

I stared at Bailey for a few seconds, taking in the annoying fact that she was here and alive. Deciding that I might as well piss her off, I said, "Shouldn't you be buried under tons and tons of rock… dead? With your beloved Hamilton?"

She glowered murderously at me. "No. I didn't fly with him that day."

"What a shame…" I muttered. She slapped me good and hard across the face. I clenched my jaw to prevent myself from letting out a cry. Easier said than done but there was no way in hell I was letting her have the satisfaction of knowing she hurt me.

"Bailey, you said you could shed some light on whom she is," Rald said impatiently.

"Yes, of course. So, _Elizabeth_," Bailey snarled venomously, "would you like to tell them or would you like me?"

I stayed silent, giving her a bored stare.

"Just spit it out!" Rald ordered.

She grinned. "Her callsign is Blaze. She was a nugget for Captain Bartlett until he was shot down. She became temporary captain for two missions and after the fourth one, she was made captain. _She_ is the reason we started to lose, why Yuktobania started to lose, why we had to go out of our way to make sure she died."

"So she knocks on deaths door a lot?" Viktor asked for conformation.

"And then I run away, or in my case fly, as fast I can. He's getting pissed," I chirped.

"Shut up," Bailey snapped, punching me on the side of my head. I had a very strong, sneaking suspicion that she was enjoying beating me up to an unhealthy level…

"Hang on… Blaze. Blaze was what the Razgriz always called their-" Otto began.

"Captain," Viktor finished.

"You're the captain?" Rald demanded seriously, looking at me.

With a cocky smirk, I said nonchalantly, "You caught me!"

Rald, for the first time, looked somewhat surprised. "I always did have good luck getting what I wanted. See, the reason I wanted to kidnap an Osean official was to find you, but what do you know? I hardly had to try."

"Good luck getting information out of me. You probably chose one of the most stubborn people in Osea," I told them.

"Is that so? And why do you say that?"

"I refused to let your guys shoot me down didn't I?" I winked at him. "And they were aces against a nugget like me. That doesn't say much for your pilots now does it? I think they are losing their touch."

"Our air force is the mightiest in the world!" Rald barked. "You were lucky!"

"I don't call it lucky being ambushed by thirty planes and shooting them all down and living to tell the tale. I call it skill. I'm not one to brag about my flying. In fact, I don't like to talk about it at all, but in this case, I would love to rub it in your face that three planes that weren't considered aces shot down thirty planes of the mighty Belkan Air Force because I know how much it pisses you off."

He turned around, expressionless. I couldn't see what he was doing but I could tell he was grabbing something. When he faced me, Rald was holding a taser…

Well hell…

* * *

**Pixy**

Blaze had been up there for what seemed like an eternity. My first thought was that they had killed her but I pushed that thought out of my mind. They hadn't gotten what they wanted from her yet. Henry was attempting to find a way out of his cell. I don't know why he was so adamant to get to a person he had never met but I wasn't complaining. At least I knew that he was on our side.

"Damn it!" Henry shouted, slamming something (again) into the door.

"No luck?" The question was more rhetorical than anything because I knew what the answer was going to be.

"No." He sounded defeated but his voice was still edged with determination. I didn't know this guy well but I admired his fortitude.

At that moment, a scream, although short and weak, reached my ears. It didn't happen again and so I just figured I was going crazy. Henry didn't say anything either, which just fueled that thought even more.

I was about to say something else when I heard another scream. This time, there was no mistaking it. It had definitely been a scream.

"Elizabeth!" Henry shouted anxiously. The screams became more frequent. Now both Henry and I were shouting at the top of our lungs for her, trying to get her to respond to us, but her screaming was so loud that I think she drowned us out.

During one of the brief moments she stopped screaming at the top of her lungs, Henry shouted as loudly as he could. She heard him and cried out his name.

After that, there was no more sound. What had happened to her? What had they been doing to her? I was almost too scared to know. Then the door banged open and footsteps were carefully going down the steps.

I heard whispering but I couldn't make out what was being said.

"Blaze?!" Henry yelled fretfully.

"She can't talk," a masculine voice responded.

"What did you do to her, damn it?! Tell me!" I roared.

"They tasered her. I don't know how she's even still conscious. She's not responding to anything though," the guy replied, sounding almost angry at the thought.

"Who are you?" Henry demanded.

"I'm Henri," he replied.

"Damn, two Henry's… this is confusing," I muttered.

"That's what Elizabeth said. She's mentioned you. You're Rald's son," Henry mentioned as her door opened. I heard the bed creak as I assumed Elizabeth was being placed on it.

"Keep talking to her. See if you can get her to talk. I can't stay down here or else they'll get suspicious. Hey, new guy, your name is Pixy right?"

"Yeah…" I replied. There was no point in hiding it when everyone upstairs knew who I was. Perks of being a 'traitor' to Belka. Traitor my ass…

"How long?"

"How long what?"

"I know why you came to Anfang," he said. "How long?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I grumbled in annoyance.

Henri was silent before saying, "She is stalling and she is running out of time."

Everything clicked. He had just said exactly what the last part of the coded message had said. _He _was the one that had sent it.

"When did I get here?" I questioned.

"Ten hours ago."

"We have an hour or two to go. Do they know?"

"No."

Henri started walking away and I heard the door at the top of the door slam shut.

"Elizabeth?" I prodded. My response was a pained groan.

"Pixy," she murmured. "I'm okay…"

"Get some sleep. It's not over. Hang in there. We have an hour to go," I urged her.

* * *

**Blaze**

I was still convulsing sporadically, still feeling like I was being electrocuted. My whole body was numb; I had such a headache I thought I was going to pass out. I was mad at myself for screaming. I had sworn to myself I wasn't going to, and then what do I do? I scream.

"Elizabeth?" Pixy's voice floated from somewhere. I wasn't quite sure where.

"Pixy," I murmured. "I'm okay…"

"Get some sleep. It's not over. Hang in there. We have an hour to go," He encouraged. I nodded, although I knew he couldn't see me.

"Elizabeth, what happened?" Henry asked gently.

"They tasered me… multiple times… for long periods… they did it just long enough that it wouldn't knock me out… I'm going to sleep. I can barely keep my eyes open."

I closed my eyes and was out like a light within seconds.

I was awoken what seemed like minutes later.

"It's been over an hour, Elizabeth. They should be here any minute," Henri whispered softly into my ear. Surprisingly, a lot of strength had returned to me and I was able to get up on my own. Henri put my handcuffs on and slipped something into my hand. The object was small and cold.

It was a key.

"My father will be alone with you. You're entering his area of expertise now. Get the cuffs lose immediately. The room is sound proof so no one will hear if you two get in a tussle," Henri informed in a hushed voice, talking so fast I could barely understand what he was saying. "There are knives, guns, tasers, and other things in that room you can use to your advantage. Be careful and I'll come help you get out of there when your retrieval group is here."

I nodded in response as we walked upstairs. "Henri, Pixy, I'll be back!" I called out.

"No! Leave her alone!" Henry's voice commanded. I heard something or someone slam against his door.

"I'll be back, Henry. I promise," I said. He didn't listen as he repeated the process, with Pixy joining in. "Honestly you two, I'll be back."

Henri led me up the stairs and Pixy and Henry shouted my name out futilely. Two men came down the stairs as I was going up. I heard two doors open followed by two sickening thuds. No more sound came from Henry or Pixy. When I reached the top step, with the two men now behind me and Henri, I struggled, just to get those two men in front of me. I succeeded. I spat on them. One punched me in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me. Henri's grip tightened on me as I doubled over in pain.

"Son of a…" I trailed off. As soon as I was able to stand upright, Henri led me to a set of stairs leading down. It was a separate part of the basement I guess, not accessible by the part Pixy, Henry, and I were being held in. We walked down and to a fireplace. Henri pushed in one of the eyes of the lions on the empty fireplace. The back of it slid open, revealing a secret room.

"Just like out of a horror book," I muttered as Henri led me inside.

"Here she is, Father," Henri announced, uncuffing one of my hands only so he could cuff me again so that the handcuffs were around the pole that was situated in the center of the room. The room itself was dark and dusty, but the weapons and instruments were shiny and well taken care of. This was going to be horrible. "I'm going upstairs."

"All right son. Keep those men in line," Rald ordered. His son nodded, gave one apologetic look at me, and left. I sighed huffily.

"So, Blaze, what should we start off with?"

I stayed silent as I shifted the key in my hand so that I was holding it with my right hand. Rald turned his back on me to look at a variety of weapons he had displayed on a table. I immediately started to try and unlock my handcuffs. The hole to unlock the left one was difficult to find but once I did, I had no trouble unlocking it. I shifted the key to my left hand quietly, avoiding making the handcuffs rattle against the pole, which happened to be metal… really cold metal. The room was stifling though so the cold actually felt good.

I put my hands in front of me so I could unlock my right hand. Rald was saying something to himself but I couldn't understand a word being said. I unlocked the right handcuff and silently put them behind me. My heart pounded as I stood up silently, and without turning around, I backed up, grabbed a knife from one of the side tables, and went back to my pole. Rald had no idea I was even up. Just as I was about to make a snide remark, there was the sound of glass shattering upstairs, followed by lots and lots of frantic shouting, pounding footsteps, and gunfire. Rald's head snapped up to look up, as if he could see through the ceiling.

"What the hell is going on up there?!" Rald demanded. "I'll be back, Blaze. I have to see what's going on up there and then I'll come deal with you."

"No. You'll deal with me right now," I declared, gripping my knife so tightly that my knuckles were white. He turned to face me and all the color in his face drowned out.

"What the-" he trailed off.

"I wasn't lying when I said someone was helping me; I guess you trusted your son a little too much."

"Henri… that bastard!" Rald roared. And that's when he lunged at me.

* * *

**Henry**

I groggily woke up to someone repeating my name.

"Henry?" Pixy asked.

"I'm up," I groaned. "Is Elizabeth back yet?"

"No… do you know where they've taken her?"

"If they've resorted to physical torture, she's in another basement in the house, in a secret room. I've had my fair share of being in that room. It's not fun."

"God I hope she's okay…" Pixy mumbled. We fell into silence. There was not a sound to be heard. I used the time to try and remember anything or anyone from my past. The brunette woman with the kid kept flashing through my mind but I never could get a good, lasting image. One thing I was sure of though was that the kid was related to me.

The sound of glass shattering, boots pounding upstairs, frantic shouting, and rapid gunfire broke through the stillness.

"What's going on?!" I inquired instantly.

"Looks like our rescue party is here," Pixy said, slightly amused sounding. Now if they would only come down here.

The footsteps got louder and louder and I started shouting at the top of my lungs for them to get me out. It wasn't long before someone opened the door and shone a flashlight directly at my face. I instantaneously covered my eyes, flinching from the pain the light caused.

"Who are you?" A guy demanded.

"My name's… Henry… please, put that light out of my face. I can't see with it like that," I said. The soldier obeyed.

He put his hands on my shoulders and I flinched again; I had multiple bruises on my shoulders from where I had been hit repeatedly by the Belkans upstairs. But the soldier didn't see my reaction. It was obvious there was only one thing on his mind.

"Where is she?"

"Where's who?" I queried. The light had disoriented me severely and I was having trouble staying focused on any one thing in my mind.

"Blaze! Where is Blaze?!" the guy yelled.

"I don't know a Blaze but I know an Elizabeth…" I offered weakly.

"That's her real name. Blaze is her callsign. Now where is she?" he demanded again. Something was clicking inside my head. I recognized the name. I recognized something but I wasn't sure what. A blonde girl suddenly appeared in my mind, grinning at me. On her hand was a sapphire engagement ring.

And that's when everything suddenly came together in my head.

* * *

**Blaze**

I dodged out of Rald's way and he slammed into the pole, which unexpectedly made me giggle slightly before I sucker-punched him in the head as he was turning around, and that made me laugh even harder (I question my sanity sometimes). The laugh was short-lived when he shoved me up against the wall. I spat in his face and kicked him in the stomach, making him bend over. I used the opportunity to kick him in the head but he grabbed my foot in the nick of time. I slashed my knife at him but he caught my hand, let go of my leg, and pulled it from underneath me. My head slammed against the concrete floor with a nauseating thud, dazing me, but there was no way in hell I was giving up. There was no way in hell I was going to let him win this after everything. My foot connected with his fingers; he instantly let go and I scrambled up. Rald then proceeded to practically punch my eye and I gave a short yelp as I stumbled back, putting my hand over my already swelling eye. It became so swollen that I could barely see out of it. Great. So now I could only see out of my right eye.

He grabbed me from behind and held onto me. The knife dropped out of my hand as I struggled to get out of his tight embrace. My arms were pulled up against my chest; opening my hands (which had been curled into fists), I pushed down with all my strength. Miraculously, it worked but not for long. Rald was able to grab me again before I could even get away.

I screamed bloody-murder. His hand clapped over my open mouth. His pinky was attempting to shut my chin but it kept slipping and going into my mouth. Without thinking, I bit down.

* * *

**Henry**

I shoved the soldier off of me and pushed past all of them. They all tried to grab me but I punched any of them who attempted. I ran up the stairs and into the light. I was instantly blinded but since I had been in this house so long, going from place to place, I kept running, knowing exactly where I was going. My hand reached the doorknob to the door that led to the second basement. I plunged into darkness and down the stairs. I stumbled on the third to last step and crashed to the floor. Even though pain shot up my hip because I had landed on it so hard, I pushed myself up and ran to the fireplace. I blindly searched for the right lion's eye. It didn't take long for me to find it. I pushed it in and ran into the room. Rald was in there, bandaging up his hand for some reason. There were small puddles of blood on the floor and my first thought went to Blaze. Rald turned to face me as I walked in. The sheer shock of seeing me was the reason he didn't react immediately when I charged him and crashed him against the wall.

"Where is she?!" I shouted. "What did you do to her?!"

Rald grinned maliciously as he kicked me off. I had practically no strength from being imprisoned for so long and from malnutrition.

"She's as good as gone," Rald spat, kicking me in the ribs. I winced and tried to get up but he kicked me down before connecting his foot violently to my head. My vision swam before me. "You're too la-"

He was cut off by Blaze barreling into him. She pinned him to the floor and punched him square in the face repeatedly. He somehow shoved her off of him. I watched dazedly as Blaze ran for a gun. Rald was behind her, something shiny in his hand.

"Watch out!" I cried out. She whirled around and her mouth dropped open as Rald stabbed her in the stomach. Blaze looked down in shock as she sank to her knees. She pulled out the knife, threw it on the floor, and collapsed into a ball on the floor. He knelt down next to her and whispered something in her ear, but I didn't know what. Rald stood back up and had just strutted out of the room, the fireplace door closing, when I heard a shot fire. I looked at Blaze, who was deathly pale. Her hand was shaking but she had sent the bullet into his leg, immobilizing it. He looked at her for a brief moment before the door blocked him from us.

"Blaze!" I croaked, forcing myself up so I could crawl to her. She didn't answer. "BLAZE!"

The crawl was slow and agonizing but I still reached her. I gently turned her over and cringed at how much blood she had lost. She couldn't be alive, but when I put my ear over her heart, it was still beating; it was weak, but still beating. Her face was bruised in multiple places, and her left eye was swollen shut.

I took off my jacket and wrapped it around her torso. I lifted her up, my anger and worry giving me the adrenaline to even stand up with her my arms. I headed over to the fireplace in the room, identical to the one on the other side. I pushed in the eye of the lion with my nose and was about to walk out when the smoke poured in.

Rald had set fire to the building. The smoke made its way to my nostrils and I immediately started coughing. However, I was only thinking that Blaze couldn't take the smoke in her current condition. I barreled through the ablaze fireplace and looked down at my jeans. Somehow, they weren't on fire. I didn't give myself time to celebrate my amazingly good luck (seeing as how I hadn't had much lately). Instead, I mustered all of my remaining strength and carried Blaze up the stairs. When I entered the hall, I barely had time to duck out of the way before a fiery beam fell straight for our heads. I covered Blaze's body with my own even though I knew it wouldn't do much. The beam had blocked my path. Both ends of the hallway were being obstructed by malignant infernos. I shouted for help in between my coughs that the smoke was causing.

"Hello?!" A voice shouted; it was muffled due to the crashing of wood in the rooms surrounding us and the crackling of timber.

"Over here! We're trapped!" I yelled. I heard more crashing but it sounded like footsteps. A soldier appeared, wearing fire protection gear. There were two other guys with him, donning the same gear. They moved the beam that had blocked my path and lifted me up. When they saw Blaze, bloody and beaten, and me struggling to keep her close to me, they became frantic. One guy lifted her up gingerly while one helped me stumble down the hallway. The third guy led the way, pushing debris out of our way and radioing to someone that a helicopter was needed immediately, that Blaze was in critical condition and was barely alive.

The house was collapsing all around us as we made our way through. The soldier had put a cloth of my mouth to slow down my inhalation of smoke. The heat was unbearable and the bright, maliciously flickering flames were murder on my darkness-accustomed eyes.

I was relieved of most of my burdens when we reached the coolness of outside. I took in a deep breath of clean air, of fresh air. It had been my first in a long time.

My thoughts instantly went to Blaze; my eyes found her being carried to a stretcher.

That's when the house exploded, shedding shards of glass and woods in all directions. Someone pushed me towards one of the two ambulances. I stood inside the back as I watched the debris fall.

* * *

**Blaze**

I was vaguely aware that something had just blown up. I was mostly aware of what was going on around me. There were panicked shouts and a sudden heat wave that lasted briefly right after the ear-shattering explosion. I was placed on something, a stretcher I think. As I was being loaded, a voice floated in my head: "Be careful, my Blazing Star."

I meant to say his name out in a steady voice but apparently getting stabbed hinders your body to do a lot of things. Instead, my voice came out in a whisper as I said, "Chopper."

Then I blacked out.

The next time I became conscious, although I wasn't able to open either of my eyes, I heard voices. They were distant and I could barely make out what they were saying: "Mass amount of blood loss… on oxygen… stab wound… holding on…"

Whatever or whoever they were talking about sounded like they were in trouble. I wasn't sure where I was. In fact, I didn't even care. All I cared about was what had happened to Henry.

I tried to say his name but it came out as a whimper much to my annoyance. That only made me more determined to fight back whatever was preventing my body from doing what I wanted it to do.

"She's awake I think," a voice said.

I forced my eyes, or eye, open. My left one refused to cooperate with me. The bright lights hurt my right one, making me squint.

"Henry…" I forced myself to murmur.

"What did she just say?" a guy asked.

"I don't know. Captain Blaze, can you hear us? Can you lift your thumb to let us know if you can hear us?" another guy inquired. I lifted my thumb; it was painful but I did it. His voice was muffled but I heard him say: "Tell Genette she's conscious."

Genette…

He was the last thought in my mind before I couldn't stay awake any longer.

* * *

**Henry**

The house was gone, blown up into a million pieces. I was being bandaged up because I had a few minor burns and bruises that were so black and dark that the paramedic thought they were dirt. It was that bad apparently. Once he was done, he left, leaving me to my thoughts on the edge of the paramedic's truck. I was worried sick about Blaze. She had lost so much blood there was no possible way she could still be alive. But Blaze had always been a fighter; I knew that from experience.

I looked up to watch the proceedings. Armored vehicles were all over the place; Belkans were being loaded into them. There were about fifty Osean soldiers searching for a missing Belkan. It was Bailey. I wanted nothing more than to see her ass thrown in jail. She was one of the reasons why Blaze was being flown to a hospital. I saw something out of the corner of my eye and turned around, just in time to see a shadow flit back into the forest. Instinct took over, and without looking back, I dashed into the forest. The person was fleet-footed, but I was faster, mainly because they had given me painkillers so I practically felt nothing. Thunderous footsteps were behind me but I paid them no heed. I focused on the person. They stumbled and out of nowhere, the knowledge to drop my shoulder came to me. I listened and I literally knocked the person two feet away. The impact stunned them, giving me the opportunity to pin them to the ground.

It was Bailey.

"Get off of me!" She screamed. There were shouts behind me as I was surrounded by a group of soldiers. One pulled me off of Bailey as others quickly grabbed her. She fought back viciously, punching and kicking.

"Be quiet!" A man hissed. He seemed to be the leader of the group.

"You bloody traitor! How dare you help her! You filthy bastard!" Bailey screeched.

"I'm telling you to shut up, bitch," the guy snapped. His sudden use of profanity shut her up, more from shock than anything else. The soldiers restraining her took the opportunity to subdue her completely and they led her away.

I braced myself against a tree to catch my breath. The running was catching up to me.

"Are you okay, sir?" A man asked. I looked up. A single soldier was standing there, the one who had yelled at Bailey. His helmet was off so instead of just seeing a pair of eyes like I did with the rest of the battalion, I could actually _see_ what he looked like. He had green eyes and hair that looked blonde in the moonlight. I think he was a dark blonde or a light brunette.

"You're a Belkan," I stated simply, standing up to my full height. I was only an inch taller than him but I still wanted to show him I had a height advantage over him. It was one of the few things I had going for me seeing as how I was so malnourished he could probably snap me in half as if I were a twig.

"Yes, but before you punch my… lights out? I believe that is the correct term. Before you punch my lights out, let me explain." I stared at him, waiting. "My name is Jens Geller. Yes, I am Belkan, but I work for the Oseans right now. Blaze was able to send a message to President Harling; I was the one who cracked the code. I am here so Blaze would have a familiar face… I thought she would be conscious though…" Geller said sadly. "She helped me by showing and telling me the truth of what my country was doing so in turn, I am helping her."

"What happened to Rald's son?"

"He is being held separate from the prisoners. He is claiming he is the one that sent the coded message to us upon Blaze's request and he is being very adamant about it. We have to wait until Blaze wakes up for her to confirm this."

"She makes the most interesting friends," I muttered.

Geller chuckled a little. "That she does. Now let us get you back to the vehicle. The chopper is here that is going to take you to the hospital."

He urged me forward and I figured if Blaze trusted him, so could I.

* * *

**Hope y'all enjoyed! I'm just going to knock this story out so updates will be quick :) please review! I liked having seven reviews for the last chapter.**


	37. Recovery

**I know I keep saying this but the story really is coming to a close soon. Not many more chapters left and I'm going to make this chapter extra long!**

**Ben Webster:**** Your review made me laugh just so you know. And the Blaze/Bailey feud ain't over yet. Thanks for the review!**

**SkyExe:**** I couldn't kill him, he's the best! No idea but not many. And thanks for reviewing!**

**RandomNumbers523156:**** I still have no idea why the name is funny to you haha as for Blaze, she's a fighter and always will be.**

**Just a Crazy-Man:**** Thank you!**

**Quote of the Chapter:  
**"**Whether it's the best of times or the worst of times, it's the only time we've got."  
****~Art Buchwald**

* * *

Chapter 37: Recovery

**Geller**

I studied the man that had been a prisoner along with Blaze. He was tall, blonde, blue-eyed, and although he looked weak, it was obvious he had been well-built and strong before.

"No offense, sir, but you're creeping me out by the way you're looking at me," he said.

"Sorry, you just look familiar," I replied.

"I don't remember you at all… although coming from me, that's not exactly a credible statement," he muttered. "How is she?"

"Who?"

"Blaze!" the guy snapped. "How is she?!"

"Blaze is on her way to Anfang Mercy Hospital. She's holding on but the last time I heard, she was in shock and was conscious but wasn't responding to anyone… or anything," I explained grimly. The look of absolute terror passed on the guy's face.

"I have to see her," he declared, standing up. "I need to see her. She needs to know. They all need to know! But they all think I'm dead! I should be… I shouldn't have survived that. I don't know how I did. The doctors even said it was a miracle I was alive," the guy rambled. He looked completely helpless and worried. And the more he rambled, the more confused I became.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Did Blaze ever tell you about me?"

"It would help if I knew who you were," I pointed out.

With a pained look, he said, "My name is Alvin Henry Davenport. My callsign was Chopper but I was shot down over November International Stadium on November 29, 2010. Everyone thought I was dead and when I woke up two weeks later after being in a coma, I had no recollection of who I was. Two Belkans were there but at the time I thought they were friends. When I was allowed to leave the hospital, the Belkans brought me to the hell hole that I've been in for the last six months. Blaze came… I don't know when but she called herself Elizabeth. I have no doubt that if she would've said Blaze was her name, I would've remembered who she was. God… now I may never get the chance." He kicked the ambulance tire viciously.

"You were her fiancé, weren't you?" I queried.

His head snapped up to look at me, a grimace on his face from what I guessed was pain. "So she did tell you about me."

* * *

**Genette**

When we got to the hospital, Blaze was already there and the doctors were refusing to let us see her. I nearly lost it when they told me I couldn't see my sister. Bartlett and Pops had to grab my arms and lead me to the waiting room and stop me from decking the doctor.

By the time I was sitting down, I was shaking. Nagase and Cassie were sitting on either side of me. They were staying calm, but I think it was for my benefit because I was quite close to a mental breakdown. Bartlett and Jason were pacing repeatedly. Grimm was so silent I repeatedly looked over at him to make sure he was still alive. Pops stayed silent as well but his constant fiddling of his thumbs told me he was anxious. Major was next to Pops, watching everything that was going on. Andersen and Snow were off in their own thoughts.

We had arrived at the hospital at twelve at night and when the doctor finally came in to tell us the verdict about Blaze, it was six in the morning.

"Are you all here for Miss Elizabeth Banks?" The doctor inquired.

"Yes, sir," Jason replied. "How is she?"

I knew the news was bad just by looking at the slight trepidation on the doctor's face. "She lost consciousness when she reached the hospital but we went ahead and put her in surgery to stitch up the stab wound. Miraculously, no major arteries or organs were hit so internally, she is okay. Physically, from the trauma she sustained, it might be a while before she's back to her original condition. The blood loss she sustained made her go into shock and we were unfortunately unable to stop her from falling into a coma."

Nagase's hand found mine and she squeezed it tightly. My voice was strained when I asked, "Do you have any idea when she'll come out of it?"

"No, but she's still stabilized and has been moving. In fact, we've repeatedly had to make sure she didn't interfere with any of the medical equipment. Miss Banks should be awake within a few days. You may go see her but only one at a time."

"Thank you, sir," Uncle Jason said politely. "And what about Pi- I mean Larry Foulke?"

"He's awake. Exhausted but awake nonetheless. Besides a few bruises and scratches, he's relatively unharmed and can be released after he receives some stitches in his left arm. I'll send him out after they're done."

After the doctor left, Uncle Jason slumped down in a chair.

"Go see her Genette," Nagase whispered. I gave her a quick kiss and literally ran to Blaze's room. The sight made me want to be sick. Her face was bruised and puffed up from someone punching or kicking her. Her arms were bruised from the wrist all the way to her shoulder. The blanket covered her stomach and I was glad I couldn't see the bandage I knew was wrapped around her torso. I walked up and brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

"Blaze…" I whispered. Her eye twitched when I mentioned her name, giving me hope she could hear me and just couldn't find the strength to reply. "You're in an Anfang hospital. Don't worry, you're safe here. I know it's in Belka but you were in such critical condition that they had to bring you to the nearest hospital. Mom and dad are on their way; dad nearly punched out the gate-check-in person when they couldn't get them a flight. I would've laughed had I not been so worried about you. I don't know if you can hear me but everyone is here except for mom and dad but they should be here soon, within the hour. I'll try to prevent them from squeezing the living daylights out of you but no promises. You know how mom and dad get when they've been worried about us. Uncle Jason, Nagase, Grimm, Cassie, Snow, Pops, Andersen, Pixy, Major, and Bartlett are all here. Harling is still overseeing the remainder of the operation. Pixy is cut up and bruised but unhurt for the most part. It's you everyone is worried about. No offense, but you look horrible little sis. I'm worried about you like you wouldn't believe. You can't leave, Blaze. You can't leave me, you can't leave us. We _need_ you. You've been our rock throughout this entire war. I love you, Blaze. Don't forget that."

I kissed her forehead and reluctantly left the room. I wanted to stay with her until she woke up but I knew the others wanted to see her. Uncle Jason went and saw her next, followed by Nagase, Cassie, Grimm, Snow, Pops, Andersen, Major, Andersen, and finally Pixy. Pixy looked doggone tired but he was forcing himself to stay awake so he wouldn't miss anything. I felt bad for him.

No news had come from Harling since we arrived at the hospital, making me wonder vaguely if everything was going okay.

By the time everyone had visited Blaze, it was seven in the morning and at that time, my parents arrived.

"Genette!" My mom exclaimed before giving me a bone-crushing hug. "Are you okay? Where's Elizabeth? What happened?"

"I'm fine, mom," I assured. "Bla- I mean Elizabeth, is stable but she's… in a coma. The trauma sent her into one but she's been pretty active. She is moving around a lot so they think that means she'll be coming out of it soon."

Tears welled up in mom's eyes right as my dad walked… actually, correction, _ran_ in and pulled me into a hug. He asked the same exact questions mom did and I gave him the same exact response. They went to her room and spent a good thirty minutes in there.

They left when the doctors came into check on Blaze and run some tests. I don't know what type of tests they were but no one could be in the room while the doctors ran them for some reason.

It was about eight in the morning when Nagase's cell phone went off. She quickly picked it up and answered it quietly because she didn't want to wake up Pixy who had dozed off sometime after he had gone to see Blaze.

"Geller… she's in a coma," Nagase said softly. "The doctors say she will wake up soon because she's been moving around a lot but that's not for certain… are you on speaker?" I heard a mumbled yes. "Someone is with you? … Who is it? … You can't explain. What does that mean… I really can't. I need to be here when Blaze wakes up…"

There was some rapid explanation but I couldn't understand what was being heard. Nagase, on the other, looked like she had seen a ghost.

"What are-?" she trailed off, stunned. "I-I'll be there as fast as I can. Where are you? … Okay, I'll be there soon. May I bring Cassie? I don't think I can see this alone… Thank you. Bye, Geller."

She hung up and turned to me, desperation clear on her face. "Genette, Geller needs me. It's urgent and after… after what he said, I can't say no. You know I wouldn't leave unless it was something that couldn't wait."

"I know you wouldn't. Go ahead and I'll call you if Blaze wakes up," I said. She gave me a kiss and dragged Cassie out of the room, whispering briskly in her ear. I wondered what was going on but my mind almost instantly went back to wondering about Blaze.

* * *

**Cassie**

When we got in the car, I finally snapped and demanded, "What the hell is going on here, Nagase?!"

She clenched her jaw as she pulled out of the parking space and drove out of the hospital. "Geller met the person that was imprisoned along with Blaze. He… he has some interesting declarations," she explained. That didn't help.

"I want to stay with Blaze," I said heatedly.

"This has to do with Blaze," Nagase said calmly.

"But it's not Blaze and I want to be with my best friend!"

"Damn it, Cassie! The guy said he was Chopper!" Nagase exclaimed. Her outburst shut me up.

"What do you mean?" I questioned quietly.

"He said he was Chopper. He gave his full name, including his middle name which I know for a fact is actually Chopper's middle name. I don' think it's him but I need to know how he knows all this stuff about Chopper. I didn't want to face it alone and I knew Genette wouldn't be up to coming with me. Please, just stay with me," She begged. I said okay.

We drove to a house on the outskirts of Anfang, in the foothills of the mountains. It was a simple ranch style house. The only difference was that there were about fifteen armored vehicles and about forty-five men patrolling the grounds. When Nagase and I got out of the car, we were surrounded by six of them. We showed them our ID's and they immediately let us through. Nagase and I ran inside and to the living room where Geller was pacing. His head snapped up when he heard us charging into the room.

"Geller, where is he?" Nagase and I demanded immediately. He motioned for us to follow him as we were led down a hall and to a bedroom. Geller knocked but it was met by silence. With a frown, he opened the door. A figure lay in the middle of the bed, sprawled out in the most awkward looking position. At first I thought he was dead but when he gave a soft snore, I knew he was alive. Geller turned on the light and I involuntarily gasped. Besides being bruised up and having blood staining his white t-shirt, there was no doubt about who he was.

"Chopper!" I exclaimed.

The response was immediate. "Blaze!" he shouted as he scrambled up into sitting position. He looked dazed as he looked around, but when his eyes rested on us, the recognition was instant.

"Cassie! Nagase!" Chopper breathed. When he got up, Nagase took a step back, which halted his approach. A look of hurt passed over his face. "Nagase?"

"You're supposed to be dead," Nagase said.

"I know… I should be dead," Chopper agreed. Ignoring the fact that Nagase was completely hostile towards him, I ran forward and gave him a giant bear hug. He didn't return it immediately from the shock of my exuberance but it passed over quickly and he hugged me back.

"I can't believe you're alive! I missed you so much! We _all_ did!" I exclaimed. We broke off the hug and he looked at Nagase. Chopper's expression looked like a puppy that had just gotten kicked repeatedly.

Nagase didn't hesitate now. She ran up and much like me, hugged the living daylights out of him. I turned to face Geller but he had gone. That was the only thing about him that bugged me; he could disappear and you would never know when.

"Oh my god…" Nagase murmured. She repeatedly said it as the three of us sat on the bed.

"How are you alive, Chopper?" she asked. "I saw you crash. There was no way you could've survived that."

Chopper looked down and fiddled with the hem of his sweatpants. He took a deep breath before saying, "Honestly, I don't know. I remember my canopy opening and I jumped just before it crashed. I curled up in a ball and the explosion knocked me back. I hit my head on the concrete on the end of the field and blacked out. When I woke up, they told me I had been in a coma for two weeks. I hardly remembered anything. I remembered my name was Henry and that was it. I was partially right seeing as how that's my middle name. There were two men that said they were friends of my fiancée because the first thing I said to them was 'you're not my fiancée. They took me to the house where I was imprisoned for the last six months after I was released from the hospital. I didn't know any better. They seemed to know so much about me. That's because they were getting information from somewhere I guess…"

"I bet it was Hamilton or Bailey… or both," I said to Nagase. She nodded in agreement.

"Hamilton? Bailey?" Chopper looked confused and it suddenly dawned on me how he knew nothing about anything that had happened. "What do you mean Hamilton and Bailey were probably giving the information?"

Nagase and I shared a look, mentally having an argument on who was going to explain to Chopper what happened. I won. Nagase sighed before diving into the story. She explained about how after they captured Cruik fortress, they were ambushed in the Vladmir Mountains. She moved on to our escape and how Hamilton and Bailey had tried to kill Blaze when the three of us had gone to tell him about what was really going on. Chopper looked like he wanted to murder someone when Nagase said that. However, he grinned like a schoolboy when Nagase said that we beat up Hamilton and Blaze beat up Cassie. He chuckled at the part where Grimm escaped through the ceiling and at the part where Blaze terrorized Grabacr. After Nagase finished explaining, it was two hours later, and Chopper said, "That's my girl."

The three of us lapsed into silence. I realized Nagase had avoided saying how much Blaze had changed after his 'death.' I figured it was because he was already distraught enough about the fact that Blaze was in a coma.

"How's she doing?" Chopper finally asked quietly.

I bit my lip before answering, "She's in a coma but she's been moving around so they think she'll wake up soon."

He swallowed, looking defeated; Chopper stood up and paced, rubbing the back of his head. "I tried to save her… I was too damn weak. I was too damn weak!" he roared, slamming his foot into the bed. The violent gesture made me and Nagase flinch. He slumped on the bed, putting his head in his hands.

"Chopper, she'll pull through, she always does," Nagase assured softly.

"But what if she _doesn't_? She's been through enough… Blaze has been through hell and back and a lot of it is because of me. Now what?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" I queried.

"When do I see everyone?" he looked up with a pitiful yet hopeful expression.

"I don't know. I think we should introduce you to everyone one by one and not just in one big group."

"What about Blaze? When she wakes up, can I see her?" When neither Nagase nor I said anything, he sighed. "You don't think it's a good idea, do you?"

"Just… hear us out. Blaze thinks you're dead. She will just have gotten out of a coma and will be confused on what's happened. What do you think her reaction will be if the first thing she sees is her 'dead' fiancé?" Nagase asked gently.

"She'll think she's gone crazy," Chopper muttered.

"Just until she gathers her senses and is able to function without us worrying she's going to collapse at any second."

"Fine… can I pretend to be Henry at least and call her?"

"… Maybe," Nagase said. "We'll let Genette decide after you see everyone again but after that, I think you need to talk to Harling. He'll want to meet you."

"Okay." I could see that even though Chopper agreed to what Nagase said, he hated the fact that he couldn't see Blaze.

"I think," I started, "Grimm and Bartlett and Pops should see you."

At that, Chopper seemed to perk up a bit. "I would love that."

"Let me make a call, then."

* * *

**Genette**

At ten, Bartlett, Grimm, and Pops all left after an urgent call from Nagase to Grimm. I was starting to become anxious as to what was going on but I couldn't stop thinking of Blaze. Two hours later, Bartlett, Pops, Nagase, Grimm, and Cassie came back, all looking elated.

"Genette, come here," Nagase said, holding out her hand to me. I took it and she led me through a hall and to a private room. The door was closed, making me curious as to who or what was behind it.

"Nagase, what's going on?" I inquired.

"Just… promise me you won't flip out," she urged, "because this is going to shock you."

"Yeah, but why? I don't think anything else can shock me as much as seeing my sister hooked up to machinery that's keeping her alive," I suddenly ranted. I shook my head and sighed. "Sorry, I'm just tired and stressed."

"I know, sweetie," she said softly, giving me a quick kiss. "Now let me show you. And again, don't flip out."

I nodded as she opened the door.

"Nagase?" A familiar voice inquired. I knew that voice. I had heard it for most of my life. But that had stopped when he died. How could he be here? He was supposed to be dead. But as I stepped in the room and saw the guy leaning against the wall with an anxious but hesitant look, I knew there was no mistake. Chopper was alive, he was well, and he was right in front of me. And by the looks of it, he was nervous to how I was going to react. He had a right because for a brief moment, I wanted to yell at him that the reason my sister became so aloof and so unlike herself was because of him, but then I realized he wouldn't have known. He would've had no way of knowing and I know that he would've done anything to see Blaze again. For some reason, he hadn't contacted us. I certainly intended to find out the reason why. And for the time being, I just reveled in the fact that my best friend was back, that he wasn't dead.

* * *

**Cassie**

Genette was in the room with Nagase and Chopper for a good hour and a half, making me wonder if everything was going okay. Chopper being alive was making us a little more hopeful. One friend was alive, now we just needed another one to pull through.

"Hey, y'all," Chopper quietly greeted us. I hated how… bashful he acted. That wasn't the Chopper I had known, but then I reminded myself that he had just recovered from amnesia, found out his fiancée had been with him the whole time, his fiancée was in a coma, and he had just reunited with his friends. Not to mention his fiancée's family was staring at him in shock.

"Alvin Davenport…" Mrs. Banks murmured. "I thought-"

"We all did, mom," Genette said. "Just listen to him. He'll explain."

Chopper looked behind him and it was obvious how much it was torturing him that Blaze was just a few rooms away and he couldn't see her.

"Al?" Mr. Banks queried.

Chopper turned to look at him. Sheepishly, he replied, "Sorry, sir… I was just thinking about Blaze."

Mr. and Mrs. Banks looked at him understandingly.

"You're Chopper?" Jason asked. Chopper looked at him, trying to figure out who he was.

"Yes, sir," he replied. "Pardon me for asking, but who are you?"

"I'm her uncle, Jason Banks."

Something of the old Chopper flickered across my friend's face as he gave a slight smirk. It was apparent that he knew something none of the rest of us did. "It's an honor to meet you, Jason. I'd call you by your callsign but I don't know if you like to be called that. Blaze has told me a lot about you."

Jason raised his eyebrows but he didn't look perturbed in the slightest. "She told you about my history, did she?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well you did a good job of keeping it to yourself. Now get on with your story. I'm eager to hear it."

Chopper kneeled down in front of Mr. and Mrs, Banks and Jason and told them the story for what was probably the fifth time. I bet he was getting sick of telling it. Major, Snow, and Andersen joined into listening as well.

My phone buzzed and I took it out. The message was from Grimm.

**From: Grimm-**

_**I can't believe Chopper is back. It's unreal.**_

I replied quickly. My heart still pounded just thinking about the fact that Chopper was alive and in front of me. I had seen that crash and I still couldn't believe he had survived it. He had had an angel watching over him that day.

**To: Grimm-**

_**I know how you feel. When we're alone, I'll tell you how Nagase reacted. Let me just say I felt bad for Chopper.**_

I looked at Grimm as he read the message. He looked up at me with an arched brow and I just gave him a small smile.

Thirty minutes later, Chopper finished his story. The three elders of the Banks family looked flabbergasted.

"Just so you know, that when my daughter wakes up and you two reunite, you have my full permission to marry her," Mr. Banks assured.

"Thank you, sir. Really, I appreciate it…"

"You want to go see her, don't you?" Jason asked, although it was more of a statement. Chopper looked at him with expectant eyes.

"God you have no idea. Just one look, please, that's all I ask," he pleaded.

Mr. and Mrs. Banks agreed but only as long as he had someone go with him. I offered. Chopper looked at me gratefully. I knew he preferred me or Nagase go because we were girls, and no matter how close he was with Grimm or Genette or any of the other guys here, he didn't want to cry in front of them (although I think if it pertained to Blaze, he really wouldn't care who saw him cry). We got up and walked out of the room. Once out of it, Chopper bolted. I had a hard time keeping up with him but thankfully Blaze's room wasn't that far away. When we reached it, Chopper skidded to a stop. I should've warned him that the sight of Blaze wouldn't be pretty.

He staggered over to her bed and took hold of her hand. "I'm so sorry, sweetie. I'm so sorry I couldn't save you in time. You _have _to pull through this because I want to see you again. I want you to see me again and I want to propose to you again, especially now that I have your father's permission. I love you, Blaze don't forget that. Never forget that," he whispered. I felt tears well up in my eyes watching him. Chopper kissed her forehead and lightly braced his forehead against hers for a few moments before forcing himself away from her. He brushed past me but I caught a glimpse at the tears in his eyes. I gave a small smile at Blaze, not able to stand the sight of her so fragile, and left hurriedly. Chopper was waiting outside the waiting room for me.

"You okay?" I questioned.

"No," Chopper said blatantly before walking into the room. I followed.

"Chopper, I talked to Harling, and he's very interested in meeting you," Bartlett said. Chopper swallowed but nodded and allowed himself to be escorted out with Pops, Andersen, and Bartlett. The rest of us stayed behind.

* * *

**Geller**

I arrived at the hospital after the remnants of the rescue operation were over. I had been constantly updated on Blaze's condition but not much had changed. When I arrived, Cassie and Nagase were to the only ones awake. Pixy and Major weren't there because they were at Versailles with Chopper, Pixy, Bartlett, and Andersen. Jason, Mr. and Mrs. Banks, Genette, Snow, and Grimm were all downstairs getting something to eat. I had seen them on the way up and had said hello.

"How are you?" I asked.

"Just worried about Blaze, and you?" Nagase inquired.

"Exhausted but glad to be here. Wh-" My question was cut off when a high-pitched noise went off. No… no this couldn't be happening. She couldn't! I fearfully looked at the heart monitor and my worst fears were confirmed. Blaze was flat-lining.

"No!" Nagase and I cried out in horror. Doctors and nurses came rushing in; one had a defibrillator in his hands. My mind went hazy during the time they were trying to shock Blaze back to life. Barely a few seconds later, the rest of the group came up and Mrs. Banks was starting to cry. All of us were actually, including me. I don't know how long it was before I heard the steady beeping of the heart monitor. I almost died from relief.

"Blaze!" Cassie cried out. I looked at Blaze, and realized something. Not only had the defibrillator shocked to life again, but it had also shocked her awake.

"Blaze! Oh my god!" Mrs. Banks sobbed. Blaze was clawing at the tube in her throat, trying to get it out; it had been the one feeding her while she'd been in a coma. The doctors swiftly got it out and stabilized her once again. She was having a small coughing fit but was relatively okay.

The doctor, Doctor McCarthy, asked, "Can you hear me?"

She nodded and said hoarsely, "The light… I can't… too bright."

One of the nurses moved it out of her face immediately. Blaze slowly started to open her eyes.

"Is that better?" Doctor McCarthy questioned kindly. She nodded with a wince. "Do you know who you are?"

"My name is-" she broke off into a coughing fit briefly. "My name is Elizabeth Banks… in Osean Air Force. Where's Pixy? And Henry? Are they okay? Where am I?"

Doctor McCarthy looked at us with a perplexed expression. He had no idea what she was talking about. I stepped forward to speak seeing as how I was the only one that wasn't choking up every time I tried to talk. "Pixy and Henry are both fine. They're at Versailles talking to Harling. You're at Anfang Mercy Hospital. You were in such critical condition when you were found that we didn't have time to get out to an Osean hospital. Don't worry though, you're safe here," I told her reassuringly.

"Why does my stomach feel like it was run over…" She was interrupted by another coughing fit. "Run over by eighteen Mack trucks?"

"You were stabbed in the stomach. We don't know who-" I began.

"Rald. Rald stabbed me," she said, cutting me off. Her eyes were still mostly shut but they were slowly opening.

"What? Henri Rald stabbed you?" Genette demanded. "I'm going to kill that son of-"

"No, Waldemarr Rald stabbed me," Blaze croaked.

"We have him in custody in a top security prison. We'll add that to his charges," I told her.

"Serves the bastard right…" she mumbled. "Did he find his pinky?"

"What?" we all echoed.

"Did you know your pinky has the consistency of a carrot? But when you bite down on it, your brain stops you from biting all the way through it because it's your pinky? Well, I guess my brain didn't register the fact that when his pinky slipped into my mouth when he was covering it that it was a pinky… so I bit down on it and well… bit it off… Who's all here?"

Inexplicably, we all gave a slight laugh. Leave it to Blaze to bring something like that up after she had just been shocked back to life.

"Genette, your parents, your uncle, Nagase, Grimm, Snow, Cassie, and I are here. Bartlett, Major, Pixy, Pops, Andersen, and Henry are all at Versailles but they're going to be so happy you're awake you have no idea," I said.

"Everyone, we're going to have to run some tests on her and make sure she's truly going to be okay. We're going to need you to leave the room," Doctor McCarthy said politely. We knew not to argue and so after we each kissed her on the forehead, we left.

Blaze was back.

* * *

**Two weeks later…**

**Blaze**

Apparently, I'm a fast healer because they thought I wouldn't be able to leave Anfang Mercy Hospital for a month. Nope, two weeks later, and I was safe and sound in Oured Memorial Hospital. For some reason, the name struck me odd. A memorial was usually for someone who had passed… and this was a hospital… calling it a 'memorial' wasn't exactly comforting. Just saying…

My family and friends had been in and out of my room the whole two weeks. I think there had been possibly two hours total where I had been completely alone.

At the moment I'm talking about, it was not part of those two hours.

Nagase was with me and we were having a discussion about how the Base Commander had gotten his food that we had found on Sand Island. We finally both agreed on the fact that his mother had most likely sent them.

We elapsed into silence afterwards and watched TV. The screen tended to hurt my eyes because for Rald, stabbing me wasn't enough, and he also gave me a concussion, and a pretty severe one at that. I had a hard time concentrating on certain things for a long period of time but that was improving. My balance had been off the few times I had tried to walk but the excruciating pain in my stomach didn't help so the doctors weren't quite sure what was my concussion and what was my stomach pain causing me to fall when I walked. I didn't either. It also hurt me to look at screens or books for an extended period of time so I spent a lot of time sleeping.

I had forced my doctors to let me take a shower because I looked like crap and I felt like I smelled really badly seeing as how I had been trapped in a basement for two weeks or something like that and then I had been trapped in the Anfang hospital without any allowance to get up and move around… not saying I listened. I might have stood up just to stand because I was getting so extremely bored in that bed that it was ridiculous. And then Nagase, being the best friend she is, brought some makeup for me, just enough where I would feel presentable to everyone that came in the room. I always like to look presentable, even when I'm on the brink of death. That's my messed up logic my friends.

My mind flitted to Henry, and not for the first time. I had been going out of my mind not being able to talk to him. Finally, I broke the silence. "How's Henry?"

Nagase looked at me innocently. "He's fine."

"I want to talk to him," I told her for what had to be the umpteenth time.

"I know but you can't. Not until he's done talking to Harling."

"He's been talking to him for two weeks! How long does it take?!" I exclaimed in exasperation.

"I don't know, but it's our orders. Listen, I have to go because I have a meeting with Harling. I'll see you later." She came over and gave me a tight hug before leaving. I had been tempted to steal her phone to find Henry's number because I was almost positive she had it but I refrained. She had an IPhone and it had a security code on there, one that I didn't know.

But then it hit me. I leaned over to grab the phone (wincing from the pain in my stomach) and dialed the number for Versailles. It rang until a voice picked up. I recognized the guy's voice as Alex, one of the security guards there.

"Hi, Alex, it's Nagase," I said, pretending to sound sickly.

"Hey, Nagase. You don't sound so good. Are you okay?" he inquired. Alex had been the best security guard and he became really good friends with all of us.

"Just a frog in my throat. I think I'm coming down with something; listen, is Henry there? I need to talk to him."

I felt bad for lying to Alex but I was too anxious to talk to Henry. I heard the heart monitor beeping in the background but I hoped he wouldn't notice it or at least think that 'Nagase' was in the hospital room with me. I was in luck.

"Nagase?" Henry's voice answered. I sighed at the sheer fact that my plan had worked.

"Henry, are you alone?" I asked.

"Uh, no, I'm with everyone else. Why?"

"I need to speak to you… alone…" I said. I heard him tell the others he'd be back and then a door opening and shutting.

"I'm alone now. Is everything okay Nagase? Is-"

"Henry, it's Elizabeth," I said, cutting him off. There was a stunned silence. For a brief moment, I was worried he didn't want to speak to me but that fear vanished when he said, "Thank god you're okay. I was worried sick about you. How did you convince Nagase to let you talk to me?"

"Who says I did?" I retorted.

He laughed. "How did you do it?"

So I explained what I did.

"You're an absolute genius, you know that, right?" He inquired drolly.

"Thank you," I said cheerfully. "So how are you? I've been going nuts not being able to talk to you."

"I'm fine. A hell of a lot better now that I know you're okay."

"Same goes for me with you. So what are these talks you're having with Harling? They've been going on for two weeks and it has me curious."

"He's asking me what I know about each of the Belkans they captured and if I had figured out what they had wanted. They wanted you, Elizabeth. They wanted you, then your squadron. Harling was asking me if I knew why. I don't but I wish I did so I could kick that bastard's ass!" Henry ranted. "Sorry, but in case you didn't notice, I don't like him."

I laughed. "Same here. I did shoot him though which was quite gratifying."

"You're my hero after that," he said with a chuckle. "Hang on…"

I waited patiently for a few seconds before someone came back on the phone. "Blaze, I cannot believe you."

Crap…

"Hey Genette," I greeted nonchalantly.

"What on earth were you thinking?" He demanded, sounding exhausted.

"I was thinking I wanted to know how Henry was from the actual person and not having y'all _tell_ me how he's feeling. I got what I wanted."

Genette sighed in annoyance. "Well before I hang up, I want you to know someone is coming to see you. Some_ones_ actually."

"Who?"

"You'll see. Bye."

He hung up on me.

"Bye to you, too, I muttered as I hung up the phone. I turned back to the TV and flipped through the channels. I started watching _Ancient Aliens_. I don't know why but the show was one of my guilty pleasures. Plus _NCIS _wasn't on yet.

I wasn't sure how long I had been watching the TV when someone said, "Elizabeth?"

Thinking it was a nurse, I replied without looking, "Yes, ma'am?"

"How are you?"

Thinking it was odd that the nurse just didn't come in, I looked over. My mouth dropped open a little as I stared at the three people in my doorway. Their faces were all pale and I think their expressions mirrored my own.

"Melissa… Mr. and Mrs. Davenport…" I murmured. I gave them a weak, somewhat bashful smile. "I'm good… you?"

"What on earth happened to you?!" Mrs. Davenport exclaimed, rushing in.

"I was taken by some Belkans so they could get information pertaining to Osea. It didn't work."

"My goodness!" she murmured. "I'd hug you but those bruises look like they hurt horribly and I don't want to hurt you."

"You're fine. I can't feel too much of the pain as long as I don't twist my body. Who knew a stab wound would hurt so much," I joked lightly.

"You were _stabbed_?!" Melissa inquired in shock. "My god!"

"I'm fine, really. Seriously, you can hug me," I assured them. Melissa was the first one to hug me but she did it softly while I squeezed the living daylights out of her. Mr. and Mrs. Davenport followed likewise.

"Blaze… pardon me for saying this, but we were told you were dead," Mr. Davenport said.

"Let me guess, a guy named Hamilton called you?" I replied. They nodded. "And he told you that I, along with my squadron, were traitors to Osea?"

"None of us believed the traitors part," Melissa declared sincerely.

"Hamilton was the traitor. He's dead. I shot him down," I explained. "He was a spy for Belka. My squadron and I figured it out and he put the blame on us so we had to escape Sand Island."

"We're just glad you're alive," Mrs. Davenport said genuinely.

"Blaze?" Melissa queried.

"Hmm?"

"Why did you never call us?"

I swallowed and bit my lip as I looked down at the edge of the blanket that I had sometime during the conversation started fiddling with. I thought of making up some lie but nothing came to mind; besides, they deserved the truth. After all, their son was dead because of me. With a mental sigh, I confessed, "I was scared."

"Scared? Of what my darling?" Mrs. Davenport questioned in confusion.

"That y'all would blame me for Chopper's death," I whispered. There was silence. I didn't want to risk taking a glance at their faces. I didn't think I could handle it.

"Blaze, how on earth could you think that?" Melissa finally asked, a little breathily.

"He died because the one mission I didn't have a plan for was the mission we were ambushed by thirty or forty something planes and I couldn't help him in time!" I fumed unexpectedly.

"We never blamed you and we never will," Mr. Davenport declared.

"You loved, Alvin," Mrs. Davenport added. "We know without a doubt you did everything within your power to help him."

"We didn't mean to upset you, Blaze," Melissa said gently.

"I know y'all didn't. I'm sorry for ranting; I don't know what came over me."

"It's perfectly okay. Listen, we didn't just come up here to ask you why you didn't call us. We talked to Harling and convinced him that you could come stay with us and recuperate at my parents' home. Your parents agreed because if for some reason some psycho Belkans came after you, they wouldn't expect you to be at your ex-fiancé's house. Please, we want you to stay," Melissa pleaded.

My willpower crumbled just by the sheer fact they weren't blaming me for Chopper's death. "I would love to. Thank you, thank you so much!"

The trio grinned.

"By the way, who told you I was here?" I questioned.

"Your brother," Mr. Davenport answered.

"I'm going to kill him…" I mumbled. They laughed. They stayed and chatted with me for a while until my brother came. After the Davenports had hugged me and left and my brother came over to give me a greeting hug, I slapped him upside the head.

"Next time you are sending people I haven't talked to in ages, give me a heads up, would you?" I snapped.

"That's what you get for calling Henry!" Genette retorted.

"Well maybe if you had let me talk to him before that might not have happened!"

We rolled our eyes at each other before watching _Ancient Aliens_. Besides being in a hospital, my life was practically back to normal.

I was enjoying every second of it.

* * *

**Wow, y'all better review because I literally worked on this chapter for half the day. I'm exhausted now and again, only four reviews? Tsk tsk! REVIEW PEOPLE!**


	38. Reunited

**This is going to be an interesting chapter :) hope y'all enjoy! **

**KeyBladeMidnight:**** It will be interesting when she does and maybe it will be what you're thinking, maybe not. I'll guess you'll just have to read this chapter and find out :)**

**Noctis Eternus:**** I seriously thought I would only do two chapters after this but that went down the drain! There will probably be one or two chapters after this but I'm not sure. YES CHOPPER'S BACK! I couldn't kill him… he was the best and you're so right! NAMCO shouldn't have killed him! That is the first time someone's ever said that to me haha and if I knew where you were from, I could tell you if that distance was accurate :)**

**Cartoony:**** Like I said in the private message, she's blonde and really didn't see him because she was too focused on Rald… but mainly she's too blonde. :) Thanks for reviewing!**

**Sky EXE:**** Same here! This will be a good chapter (I hope). Wedding? Why on earth do you think there will be a wedding? Hmmm… I'll think about it ;)**

**RandomNumbers523156:**** I have no idea how comas work :P I'm basing it off an **_**NCIS**_** episode I saw.**

**Shadow1121:**** You didn't **_**really**_** think I would kill Chopper did you? He's the best character in the whole game! I'm still mad at NAMCO for killing him.**

**Ben Webster:**** Don't we all?! :D Thanks for reviewing!**

**Shifty830:**** Let the bombshell be dropped! For this is the chapter where it shall happen :)**

**On with the chapter my dear friends!**

* * *

Reunited

**Blaze**

I was let out of the hospital two weeks later. My vision still swam like I was in a washing machine if I stood up too quickly but that was bearable. My stab-wound pain was a completely different story. The doctor said that by the time it was healed, there would be just a thin, white scar line from the injury and that the pain would diminish over time. Over time by butt… the pain was so acute I mentally thought that the doctor was on crack when he said that. He gave me pain killers too, although I made a mental promise to myself to use them as little as possible. I didn't want to become dependent on them, you know?

Mr. and Mrs. Davenport came to pick me up. My parents and Genette were also there but only to bring my suitcase… okay suit_cases_ of clothes and everything else I might need. I knew my mom packed because she and I had the same mindset when it came to packing. We were sensible about it. My brother and father though? God, every time, it looked like a nuclear bomb went off in their suitcases when they packed.

My mom brought me my favorite pair of blue sweat pants and a white camisole with my favorite pair of flip-flops to wear. Have I ever said how much I love my mom? I put the outfit on and shuffled to the door where everyone was waiting. There was a wheel chair waiting for me but I insisted I was perfectly fine to walk, even though my stomach was hurting. Reluctantly they agreed. When we got the Davenports' car (which happened to be a Porsche Panamera), I hugged my family goodbye before getting into the car. My brother had already loaded my suitcases into the car. Mr. Davenport then started driving home. I fell asleep on the way there; my dreams were of Rald and Bailey and me punching the living daylights out of both of them. It was quite gratifying.

It took a little under an hour to arrive at the Davenports' home. I woke up just as we were pulling into the garage. Right when I stepped out of the car, my leg was hugged by a little boy with blonde hair.

"Auntie!"

"Jackson!" I exclaimed, picking him up and hugging him. I couldn't believe how much he'd grown. It was incredible. And he could talk!

"Hey, Blaze," Melissa said cheerfully. "Your room is all set up. Jackson was demanding you take the room next to his."

I laughed. "That is perfectly okay."

Mr. Davenport lugged my bags out of the car and to my room, something I graciously thanked him for.

"Nonsense! I wouldn't hear of you carrying your bags to your room!" he declared. I gave him a hug and set Jackson down but he refused to leave my side. Melissa tried to persuade him to let me have some alone time but I insisted he was fine to stay in my room. So after I put in a _Scooby-Doo_ movie, I set to packing while he watched the TV. I'll admit I might have stopped to watch the movie too because who doesn't like _Scooby-Doo_?

I put my clothes in the dresser drawers, separating out shorts and pants in one drawer and shirts and camisoles in another, with socks and such going all in another drawer. I'm OCD when it comes to organizing things like that. Afterwards, I plopped down gingerly on my bed (to avoid irritating my stab wound was itching maddeningly).

The movie finished right as supper was ready. I turned off the television and while Jackson raced downstairs, I took my time because my whole body was sore from Rald kicking me repeatedly. The doctors didn't know how I didn't have any broken ribs; truth be told, neither did I. However, the bruises were still severe enough to cause me pain when I walked.

Dinner consisted of simple steak and garlic mashed potatoes with bacon, but it was delicious nonetheless. Mrs. Davenport even made an apple pie which half of it was gone after everyone had had a helping. Jackson started to crash after dinner so Melissa went and gave him a bath before taking him to bed. After much prodding on my part, I was allowed to help clean up the table and help wash the dishes but Mrs. Davenport wouldn't let me do anything and insisted unyieldingly that I go upstairs and get some rest. I gave in because I knew I wouldn't win the argument and I also was too tired to argue. Apparently getting stabbed really takes it out of you. Who knew?

I trudged upstairs and was about to go into my room when I looked across the hall. There was Chopper's room. Making sure no one was going to suddenly pop up out of nowhere, I stepped in quickly to his room and shut the door. It looked the same as the day I had last been here, which had been sometime in early November. I looked at all his posters. Some were of the Aurora Saints, some were of the Del Fuego Cowboys, and some were of the Amarillo Broncos. He had multiple posters of fighter jets and supercars. A poster of a supercar I recognized as one that Genette had given to him for one of Chopper's birthdays. I looked on his nightstand and in somewhat shock, saw that Chopper had kept an address book, completely filled with names and numbers. Mine was in the very beginning, starred and highlighted. A few others, including his parents, Grimm, Nagase, Genette, Cassie, and Melissa were also starred and highlighted. I figured that meant we were important numbers. He also had Jensen and Jared's numbers in there (if you don't remember them, they were the two guys that were talking to me when I was visiting in November. Jensen was hitting on me… a lot…).

There was a picture of me and Chopper right after everyone had found out he had asked me to marry him. I was showing the ring to the camera and grinning like a buffoon. Chopper was kissing my cheek.

"Blaze?" Melissa's voice floated from the doorway. I whirled around guiltily.

"I was just, uh, I was, uh," I stammered. I couldn't get a sentence out. She just smiled at me.

"We left it the way it was. Nothing has been moved or changed," she said softly, looking around the room.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude on anything. I just… I don't know, I guess it's a sort of closure." It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't an all our truth. There would never be closure for me, not where Chopper was concerned.

"Feel free to come in here as often as you like," she told me sincerely. Melissa walked over to me and looked hesitant. "Blaze, I've been wondering. What really happened to my brother? Genette didn't go into much detail because I was already in hysterics from crying but I think I can handle it now. I want to know. It's still too sore of a subject with my parents but not so much for me. Please, I want to know."

I sat on the floor and leaned against his bed. She sat next to me.

"We were doing a flyby over November International Stadium upon request by Vice Principal Appelrouth. We were armed in case we were attacked but we were so far inland none of us had the slightest inkling that would happen. It was the first time I didn't have a plan in case we were attacked. We went through the flyby with no difficulties. We executed it with perfection. Afterwards, we flew around, listening to the speech, and it was just a little after the crowd started singing _Journey Home_ that I got the first hit on my radar. Nagase, Grimm, and Chopper had it on theirs too. I panicked immediately. I ordered us to stay in pairs. It was me and Chopper as one pair and Nagase and Grimm as another. Our AWACS had told us that reinforcements were on the way but they never came. Chopper was getting an enemy plane off Grimm's tail. I hadn't even noticed he had stopped trailing me. I should've known. I should've been able to stop that plane but I wasn't. The hit was severe but it didn't seem like it at first. At first, his controls were working fine. Near the end of the mission, his plane started going haywire. Nagase, Grimm, and I had been begging him to bail out over the stadium but he didn't want to until most of the people had evacuated. His decision probably saved lives but it cost his. My decision to not have a backup plan cost him his life. Chopper… died quickly. The crash was fast so I don't think he suffered," I explained. I had spoken fast, wanting to get the whole story out in as little time as possible.

"You know why my brother loved you?" Melissa queried. I looked at her and shook my head. She wasn't looking at me but I could see the tears in her eyes. "You were always looking out for others. You hardly ever stopped and thought about what was best for you. He tried to get you to do it but you were quite obstinate whether you realized it or not." She gave a half sob, half chuckle. "And you were like him in so many ways. You two had the same beliefs, you shared the same humor. God, he loved you, Blaze. More than I can ever hope to explain. One morning when you were still asleep, he had gotten up early and I had been up because of Jackson. He and I had a long talk and all he could talk about was you. So I asked him what his intentions were with you and his immediate response was he was going to ask you to marry him, and soon, too. Of course, I didn't know he meant the next day at the party. He told me he was worried sick about you, that you weren't getting enough sleep and that you were constantly waking up in the middle of the night. I told him you were the captain of a fantastic squadron and you probably just had a lot of things on your mind. He dropped the subject after that."

"You were right. I did have a lot of things on my mind, and they were things that I didn't want to tell anybody. I still don't," I admitted.

"Just know, that even though by blood you're not related to us, you will always be family," Melissa assured with a smile. I returned it.

By unspoken consent, we both stood up. I walked to my room and said goodnight to Melissa. I picked up my phone before going to bed. I had one missed call from Genette. I hit the send button and waited for him to pick up.

"Hey, Blaze. How are you?" Genette asked after the second ring.

"Tired beyond belief. Sorry I missed your call. What did you need?"

"I wanted to let you know that you have to go to court in two days at zero-eight-hundred to testify against Bailey and Rald. Henry already testified against Rald so Rald's looking at two or three life sentences with no chance of parole."

"How is Henry?" I inquired instantly.

"He's fine. Now get some sleep. You need it. Night little sis."

"Night big bro." I hung up my phone, turned out my light, and fell asleep almost right away.

* * *

**Two days later…**

I got up at six to make myself look decent. I curled my hair and applied makeup. That took about forty-five minutes. Dressing took another fifteen because I could barely lift my arms without my muscles and bruises screaming in protest. I put on a blue dress that was semi-loose so that it didn't push or rub against my sensitive stomach. Melissa was waiting for me downstairs. She was my ride to the court in Oured. I hadn't taken a pain killer before I left and I had forgotten to put them in my purse. I was hoping that my wound wouldn't bother me too much.

The ride comprised mainly of me and Melissa jamming to Rascal Flatts. We were both in love with their songs. It took under forty-five minutes to get to the court, which was good because it gave me time to get inside the courtroom. Genette had already hired my attorney. It was our family's attorney and he was one of the best in the country. When I walked in, Bailey was in an orange jumpsuit. She gave me a murderous glare which I returned. I had the strongest urge to go punch her; I resisted, but only barely.

I took my place behind the desk and stood up with my attorney, Mr. Simpson.

"All rise," the policeman said. Everyone did as told as the judge swept into the room. He was a man in his late fifties, I guessed. The wrinkles on his face told me he loved to laugh, or at least laughed a lot.

Bailey and I swore that we would tell the truth and nothing but the truth. Then we were seated. I was called up to the witness stand and was ordered to give an account on all the offenses Bailey had committed against me. Earlier, I had panicked about what I should say when she tried to kill me with the letter opener so I called Harling and he told me I was completely fine to tell the story, that the judge knew who I was. So I told about how I had found out Hamilton and Bailey were spies for Belka and that while my two friends took on Hamilton, I took on Bailey and she tried to kill me with a letter opener. I then explained what happened when I was being held prisoner by Rald and how both he and she had been more than happy to inflict injuries upon me. Some of the bruises on my face were actually from her slapping me. I concluded my story saying that she was a traitor to Osea. I could tell the judge was on my side. As I was walking up to my desk, Bailey hissed at me, "It was so gratifying to see you mourn Chopper, to see you hurt."

I stopped dead in my tracks. I turned to her and said nonchalantly, "It was also gratifying to me when I killed Hamilton. I can never convey to you how elated I was."

Bailey lunged at me. Her attorneys grabbed her before she could hurt me and my attorney grabbed me before I could strangle her. Mr. Simpson did, however, forget one thing. My legs. I kicked with all my strength, knocking Bailey on the side of the head. She went down and out. I struggled to kick her some more but more men grabbed me and escorted me out the court room. They brought me to a private room where I was allowed to calm down. The minute I was out of the court room, I had given up the fight because I had twisted my stomach to kick and afterward my stab wound was creating so much pain that I swore my body was trying to murder me.

I wasn't sure how long I was in the room before Genette came in. I thought he was going to be mad that I had lost it but instead he gave me a grin and a congratulatory remark. We left the court room, having been given permission to leave, and headed to Chick-fil-a. I had a twelve-count of chicken nuggets with a Diet Dr. Pepper while Genette had the same thing except with a chocolate milkshake.

Once we had finished our meal, he brought me back to the Davenports' house. It was two in the afternoon by now and Jackson was down for his afternoon nap. Melissa was sacked out on the couch and Mr. and Mrs. Davenport were out on some errands. I slipped quietly upstairs and changed into sweat pants and a t-shirt. I also took a pain killer because my stomach was still aching from earlier. I didn't mind that the pain was from kicking Bailey though. The pain was well worth it.

I went back downstairs and out the door, heading to the hammock. I was feeling too claustrophobic in the house. It took me a few minutes to find a sitting position that felt secure enough that I wouldn't fall flat on my butt before I actually risked lying down. Once I had that sorted out, I allowed the soft breeze and rustling leaves of the aspens to put me to sleep.

* * *

**Grimm**

Chopper was going insane not only from being cooped up in Versailles, but also from the fact that Blaze had been just a few blocks away from him and he hadn't been able to see her. I felt awful that we had to keep him away from her like this but it was what had to be done. All of us knew that Blaze was too fragile right now, whether she would admit it or not. She had just been tortured, stabbed, and given a concussion. No telling what would happen if Chopper suddenly appeared before. I knew Blaze was bottling everything in, and seeing Chopper, who was supposed to be dead, would only make her think she'd finally lost her sanity.

"How is she Genette?" Chopper asked immediately when Genette had barely taken a step into the room.

"She's fine. Kicked the fire out of Bailey, knocked her unconscious," Genette replied.

"Bailey kicked her unconscious?!" Chopper roared.

"No, Blaze kicked Bailey unconscious."

Chopper instantly calmed down. "That's my girl."

"It shouldn't be too much longer before you can see her. She's been itching to see you again… of course, she has no idea it's _you_," Genette said.

"How's my family?"

"Good from what I can tell. They were insistent when they offered for her to stay with them. In fact, they wouldn't budge no matter how much Blaze said she didn't want to intrude. Apparently Jackson was demanding Blaze stay in the room next to his."

Chopper laughed. "I can't wait to see the little tyke and my family."

"They're going to be so ecstatic to see you that I can't even describe it," I said. He smiled at me. At that moment, Nagase and Cassie came walking in. They both gave Chopper hugs which he gladly returned.

"Genette, please, give me a guesstimate," Chopper pleaded. I had never heard him sound so desperate. I wasn't used to it, nor did I like it. I missed the quirky, witty, sarcastic Chopper I used to know.

"A guesstimate on what?"

"Blaze. When can I see her?"

Genette's jaw clenched and unclenched, making it clear he was trying to come up with an accurate answer.

"A week at the minimum but no sooner."

Chopper sighed and nodded.

* * *

**Blaze**

Melissa was the one who woke me up five hours later. Apparently they had already eaten dinner and had saved some for me. I felt awful that I had missed dinner with them. I hurriedly walked back to the house and apologized profusely for not telling them I was home. All of them said it was absolutely fine, that I needed as much rest as I could get. I smiled apologetically at them before I heated up my dinner and scarfed it down. It was tomato soup, one of the best I had ever had. I didn't stay up long after that. The pain killer, besides seriously working wonders on taking away the pain, also made me tired. I didn't know why but I also figured the fatigue was from the pain my stomach had caused. Again, who knew stabbing could take so much out of you?

The next morning, the sky was overcast and there was a steady drizzle but nothing too bad although the news forecasters suspected it was going to get a lot worse. I didn't really believe them, I mean, come on, they're newscasters. They say it'll be bright sunshine and the next thing you know you are hiding in your basement because there's a tornado roaring through your town… okay, that might be an exaggeration but you get my point.

Nagase decided to come over along with Cassie. I was overjoyed to see both of them. It had been too long. Jackson tried to stay with us "pretty girls," which was his name for all three of us. Nagase, Cassie, and I laughed. I love little kids. They say the cutest things sometimes. Melissa told him that the adults needed to have some alone time. He pouted as she brought him out of the room.

"He's adorable," Cassie mused.

"Isn't he?" I said. "So how is everyone?"

"They're all fine. Geller has been catching up on sleep and we hardly ever see him because he's asleep so much. Grimm and Genette are fine, just watching sports and whatnot and worrying about you."

"They don't need to," I commented.

"One is your brother, one is like your brother, they're going to worry about you whether you like it or not," Nagase pointed out with a laugh.

"You have a point," I muttered.

"Harling has been unusually absent," Cassie informed.

"He better not have been kidnapped again," I moaned.

"Nah, he hasn't, he's just been in his office a lot. He's working on something, I'm sure of it."

"What about Rald Jr.? How's he?" I queried.

"Once his testimony is taken and you give your speech to let him out, there's no doubt that he'll be let free with no charges against him," Cassie assured.

"And what about Henry? Is he staying at Versailles?" I reached the subject I had been most eager to talk about. For some reason, my friends and family were very oblique in their answers about him. It was quite irksome.

"Yes, he's at Versailles. He's fine. He's glad you're okay," Nagase told me.

"Has he found his fiancée?"

"Yeah, but he hasn't seen her yet."

"Why not?"

"Hasn't gotten a chance."

"Y'all need to let him go see her! Do you know how happy she'll be when she finds out he's alive?!" I scolded.

"Yes, we know but with everything-"

I cut Nagase off. "But with everything no! He needs to be allowed to see her!"

Nagase and Cassie looked at each other, a somewhat guilty look on their face.

"What's going on you two?" I demanded. "You act weird every time I bring Henry up, so does my brother and Grimm and everyone else. What is going on that I don't know about?!"

"You'll find out soon. We have to get going. Genette and Grimm are taking us out to dinner and we need to go get ready," Cassie said. I sighed and said 'fine' and after hugging them, I lay back down on my bed.

The rest of the day, my mind was preoccupied by Henry, and the more I thought about him, the more I itched to see him.

The rain had steadily gotten worse and by the time I was in bed with my light turned off, it was thundering and lightning. My mind steadfastly, still, remained on Henry. Why wasn't he allowed to see his fiancée? Was there something my friends knew about his fiancée that was making them purposefully prevent him from seeing her? What if she was cheating on him and they didn't want him to find out just yet? I mean, that would be the icing on the cake for him. He's had a rough past six months being imprisoned in the Belkan prison in Anfang. I would personally slap her if she did that to such a kind guy. Maybe they were keeping him at Versailles because he hadn't told them everything? Or maybe they didn't trust him and were keeping him trapped in Versailles because they believed he was lying about being on our side and that when he saw me again, he intended to finish the job that Rald Senior had started?

My mind was running away.

And that was when I couldn't take it anymore. I threw off my covers and threw on a long-sleeved, gray sweater dress with some black leggings and black flats. I was walking out of my room when it suddenly dawned on me that I had no way of getting there without waking up the Davenports. If I wanted to take the car, I'd have to take it from the garage and that would mean I'd have to open the garage door which would create quite a racket. Uh, don't think that would work. I couldn't walk because I'd probably die from being struck by lightning. I'll pass on that. I've had enough near-death experiences thank you very much.

Hell… this wasn't looking good.

Suddenly, another thought dawned on me. I could _call_ someone to come pick me up, and I had someone in mind that might be willing to do it for me. I crept to Chopper's room and turned on his lamp. I skimmed through his address book, found the number I was looking for, and after shutting the lamp off, headed all the way down to the basement where I called the number.

They picked up on the second ring.

"Hello?" Jensen shouted. The background noise was loud, telling me he was either at a party or he was jamming to music.

"Hey, Jensen, it's Blaze… Chopper's fiancée," I greeted shyly.

There was silence.

"My god! The Davenports told me you were dead! Holy hell! What's going on?"

"If you come pick me up and drive me to Versailles, I'll explain the whole thing to you on the way there," I bargained.

"You got a deal. I'm bringing Jared because he just heard this whole conversation and is curious as hell. We'll be there in five!" Jensen said.

"Thank you so much!"

We hung up and I tiptoed upstairs to my room where I left a note for the Davenports where I said I had to leave on urgent business to Versailles and that I didn't know when I'd be back and that I had left early and hadn't wanted to wake them. I put it on my pillow, grabbed my badge that would allow me to enter Versailles, my phone, made my bed, and headed back downstairs. When I opened the door, Jensen's black Impala was waiting for me outside. The engine was off but the headlights were on. I hadn't heard them come up so I guessed they put the car in neutral when they pulled up. I locked the door with the spare key under the mat before getting into the car.

"Y'all are so amazing that I don't know how to thank you!" I exclaimed when I got in. I shut the car door quietly as Jensen put the car in reverse. Like I had guessed, he didn't use the engine until we were a good distance away from the house.

"No problem. Now you have a lot of explaining to do, starting with why you look like you've been beaten up. Whose ass do we need to kick?" Jared declared. I laughed before diving into the story, although I avoided the subject of me being in the Razgriz as much as I could. They rarely interrupted me; it also seemed that they understood that I was unable to say certain things because of the confidentiality of it.

The story took the whole trip to explain and right as I finished, they pulled up to Versailles. Most of the lights were off, but a couple were on, my room included, making me instantly suspicious. Who was snooping through my room?

"I have a feeling you're not really supposed to be here," Jensen mused. "Are we going to be arrested or something for driving you here?"

"Your assumption would be correct, I really shouldn't, but it's not illegal if that's what you're asking. Don't worry, if they do come a-knocking on your door, I can get you out," I assured.

"You have a lot of power in the capital, don't you?" Jared queried.

"You have no idea," I replied drolly. "Thank you again for the ride!"

"Do you need a ride back?" Jensen inquired.

"No, after my brother gives me a good scolding, one of which I will tune him out entirely, he'll drive me back to the Davenports'. I'll see you two soon!"

"Bye, Blaze!" The two brothers shouted after me as I ran through the pouring rain and to the safety of the overhang at the security booth. Alex was there, playing what looked to be solitaire on the computer. He looked at me, looked at his sign-in book, and did a double-take on me.

"Good lord, Blaze!" he exclaimed. "What the hell are you doing here so late at night?"

"It was the only way my brother wouldn't kick me out of the palace and the only way I could see Henry. I have my badge and everything," I told him hurriedly, taking out my badge and showing him that I was allowed to be here. He knew I was but it was still a mandatory action. He swiped my badge in a machine which said I was in the palace. He handed it back to me.

"Be careful, Miss Blaze," Alex admonished gently.

"It's me! I'm always careful!" I joked. He snorted. I winked at him and walked up the sidewalk and into Versailles. Right as I shut the door, the lamps that had been lighting the foyer went out. Great… power outage. The generator wasn't even working because it had been vandalized by some mechanical whiz or something and the people fixing it were having a hard time figuring out _how_ to fix it.

I stumbled my way blindly up the stairs and onto the second floor. I went up to the third floor so I could see if I could possibly find out who had been in my room. I vaguely wondered as I padded softly through the halls if my brother and friends were here. It was probably unlikely. Genette was probably with Nagase at her house, Grimm was probably at Cassie's. All the better for me. Then at least if I did see Henry, who I was pretty sure was here, we wouldn't be interrupted.

I was trying to find the way to my room but it became impossible because since I was in an interior hallway, it was pitch black. The drapes in the windows were closed so that didn't help me find my way either.

As I was approaching to what I was almost positive was my room, I heard footsteps behind me. I whirled around, holding my breath. Who would be walking around this time of night? It was rumored that Versailles was haunted and I sort of believed it… now I certainly did. Or maybe I was just losing it. That would probably surprise me less than Versailles being haunted. The footsteps continued; I did something either very brave of very foolish, you decide, but I called out, "Who's there?"

The footsteps immediately stopped which was accompanied by heavy breathing. I was wondering if I had just allowed some psychopath killer to know where his next victim was (a.k.a. me.) "Blaze?"

Relief washed over me, along with an excitement I hadn't felt in a long time. I knew that voice; I had grown accustomed to talking to the person of which it belonged to when I was imprisoned by the Belkans. "Henry," I breathed.

"Where are you?" he asked, sounding urgent. "I can't see jack without any light."

"That makes two of us. Uh, I think if you walk forward, we should run into each other… literally."

I walked forward, reaching out with my hands. It only took a few seconds before my hands connected with Henry's chest. I let out a little gasp from surprise; he jumped.

"Please for the love of God tell me that's you touching me," Henry said drolly.

"That's me… I'm pretty sure," I answered sheepishly. I stepped forward and threw my arms around his neck. His arms wrapped themselves around my waist. "God I've been going nuts not being able to see you."

"Same here. Are you okay? How's your stomach?" he inquired worriedly.

"Fine. I took some pain killers so I can't feel much right now. What about you?"

"Fine now that I can actually talk to you in person. It's good to talk to you again, Blaze."

His use of my callsign made me realize something. "I never told you my callsign."

"Your friends and family used it a lot when they were talking about you. I guess I got used to hearing it so much that now that's what I call you when I refer to you," he explained.

"Ah, okay. That makes sense."

"Hey, Blaze, after that bastard Rald stabbed you, he whispered something to you. What was it?"

I contemplated briefly on if I should tell him, although it wasn't much of a big thought process. "He told me he had planned on breaking me and that he had. So when he turned around, I grabbed a gun that had been knocked off the shelf and shot him. Then I mouthed to him that I would never break."

"I saw you shoot him. Nice aim."

"Thank you. Was that you I heard asking him where I was?"

"Yeah. I broke away from the rescue team and went to get you because I knew where you were. I think I was running so fast that they lost me because they didn't follow me down into the basement."

"Thank you. You saved me you know. If he had finished up bandaging his hand, I'm pretty sure he would've finished me off."

"I didn't save you. You still got stabbed and nearly died. I'm still beating myself up over it," Henry mumbled ashamedly.

"Don't be," I told him firmly. "I'm alive, and that's all that matters."

Surprisingly, he kissed my cheek, making my stomach do flip-flops.

It made me semi-flustered and I was about to suggest we find our way to the living room (the casual one- there's four in Versailles: two informal, two formal) when the lights flickered back on. I looked up in surprise, glad that I could finally see again. Henry suddenly flinched away from me, making me look at surprise in him. What I saw surprised me more than I could ever express with words. Despite the bruises on his face, the dark circles under his eyes from sleepless nights, the whiteness of his skin from being held in darkness for so long, and the thin, malnourished physique, there was no denying in my mind who he was. I stared, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, at the men I had known to be Henry. It wasn't Henry. Before me was standing someone I knew for a fact was supposed to be dead.

In front of me stood Chopper, my dead fiancé.

He looked frightened; whether by my appearance (because I'm sure I looked horrible with my bruises and partially swollen eye) or by the sheer fact is was me, I wasn't sure, but when he started to say my name, I reacted instantly.

* * *

**Chopper**

She kneed me… hard.

I had started to say her name and she had reacted by kneeing me. I grunted as I fell to the ground in pain. Blaze bolted down the hallway. I forced myself to stand up even though my body was practically immobilized. I compelled my body forward, stumbling from the pain, in pursuit of Blaze. She had turned down a corridor and I heard a door open and slam shut. I was able to figure out which one she had gone into mainly by the fact that the decorative drapes were still moving from her running past them.

I opened the door. Blaze was rummaging madly through a drawer. When I ran into the room, she pulled out whatever it was that she had been looking for.

It was a gun.

I skidded so much to a halt that I literally fell on my butt and scooted away from her. Blaze's face was red, her eyes petrified. Now I knew why Genette and the others had been keeping me away from her. They had been right. I could just tell by the look in her eyes and on her face that she truly believed she'd lost her mind. Not seeing me had been the one thing that had kept her sane.

I wasn't sure what was going to happen (although I was seriously wondering if I was going to make it out of this alive), but I knew one thing for certain.

Blaze had finally broken.

* * *

**Blaze**

I stared at Chopper… or Henry. I couldn't decide. If it was Henry, I had just found Chopper's ultimate twin. If it was Chopper, I had just lost my complete sanity. My belief went with the latter of those two.

He had come running into the room and when I pointed my gun at him, he stopped so abruptly that he fell backwards. He scooted away from me, clear panic and fear on his face.

"Blaze-" Chopper began.

"Don't call me that," I snapped angrily. My hand that was holding the gun was trembling but I had no doubt that I could still shoot on target.

"Please, let me explain," he pleaded softly.

"You're supposed to be dead!" I cried. "I saw you crash! There's no way _anyone_ could've survived that! Tell me the truth! Who _are_ you?!"

Chopper slowly stood up, his hands in the air as a sign of surrender and of peace. The gesture still didn't make me put the gun down. "It's me, Chopper. Alvin Henry Davenport. I'm twenty-seven years old. My birthday is April 1, 1984. My parents are Carter and Allison Davenport; I have an older sister named Melissa and a brother-in-law, her husband, named Jeff, and her son, my nephew, named Jackson."

How did he now so much about Chopper?

"Blaze, listen to me; it's _me_." He enunciated 'me' very carefully, but I still couldn't believe him. I had watched him crash into the stadium. It was impossible that he was here now. I wondered if the ordeal I had gone through in Anfang was making me think irrationally, but at the same time, my rationality was saying it was impossible for him to be here.

"I said don't call me that!" I growled at him.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"Would I be pointing a gun at you if I did?" I pointed out bluntly.

"Please, put the gun down."

"No, I will do no such thing," I told him firmly. I wasn't sure how long we stood there but I noticed that the pain killer was wearing off. I couldn't stand on my feet for much longer. Between the shock of Chopper and the rapidly increasing pain in my stomach, I felt weak and faint, something that annoyed me very much. It was a feeling I was quite unfamiliar with.

Chopper must've seen the sudden change in my attitude because he boldly took a step forward, asking me, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I snapped, lifting the gun up higher since it had lowered significantly when a sharp stab of pain went through me.

He halted his approach, his hands still in the air, but kept talking. "Is it your stomach?"

I could only nod, in fear of being sick.

"Do you need to sit down?"

That question brought me briefly out of my daze and I replied hotly, "No, I've been through worse."

He gulped. "Let me _prove_ to you that I'm Chopper."

"You have no right to say his name!" I declared fiercely. He took another step towards me. I screamed, "Stay away from me!"

It halted him again. His eyes were begging me to understand that it was truly who I was wishing him to be, but I couldn't let myself. Such luck didn't happen to me. Fate wasn't kind to me.

"Let me _prove_ to you who I am," he beseeched hopefully.

I stared at him, expressionless, pondering on what he could do to prove to me that he was actually Chopper. It suddenly clicked in my mind, and I grinned superiorly, knowing that Chopper and only Chopper could answer the question I was about to ask. "What was your nickname for me, that only _you_ called me?"

He gave a reminiscent smile and said, "I whispered it to you before you were loaded onto the helicopter. I told you to be careful my Blazing Star."

I instantly lowered my gun.

Now I knew for a fact that it was truly Chopper standing before me. No one knew Chopper's nickname for me except me… and Chopper.

He stepped towards me and this time I didn't stop him until he was within reachable distance. Then I slapped him good and hard on the chest. He jumped and I cried, "You bastard!"

"Blaze?!" Chopper tried to console me but I was on another rant.

"I cried for _hours_ after you died! You left me! I thought you were dead! Now you just show up and expect me to believe you're alive?! My god! Damn you Chopper! Damn you, damn you, damn you!" I ranted, pounding my fists as hard as I could against his chest, knocking him back each time. I realized afterwards of saying it that it didn't make much sense but I didn't care. His arms enveloped me into a hug and that's when I lost it. I let loose the tears I had been holding in for so long. They were tears of pain, anger, loss, hopelessness, love, and joy. I couldn't decide which one of those emotions were the most prominent but it didn't matter. It felt good to cry and Chopper just stood there, holding me tightly as if he were never going to let me go. I would've suspended time right then and there if I had the power.

I think it was a good thirty minutes before I was able to look at him without going into another sobbing fit. He wiped some tears off of my face with his thumb.

"I'm so sorry, Blaze. You have no idea," he whispered, kissing my forehead. My heart jumped at the contact. He was about to say something else but I cut him off with a kiss. His shock was brief, only noticeable by how he went rigid for a second or two before he willingly returned it.

"I love you, Blaze." I smiled at the words.

"I love you, Chopper. Come on, let's go get some sleep. We're both exhausted and I need to lie down or else my stomach will murder me."

I grabbed his hand and was going to lead him to my room but he swept me up into his arms bridal style, making me laugh gaily. He carried me to my room where he gently set me on the bed before plopping down next to me on my right side. I wasn't sure if it was coincidental or not that he knew I liked having him on my right side, but I didn't care. I snuggled up to him, being as close to him as was physically possible. Chopper turned off the lamp and rested his head on mine. I shut my eyes and I was almost to the part of sleep where I would slip into the realm of dreams when Chopper whispered, "Would you have really shot me?"

I chuckled. "No. The gun was on safety."

I felt him shaking, which told me he was laughing.

"Goodnight, my Blazing Star." He kissed the top of my head as I told him goodnight.

And then, for the first time since he died, I got a full night's sleep.

* * *

**And they reunite! What did you think of Blaze's reaction? I actually really enjoyed writing that part. I've been wanting to for so long! Please review! Next chapter **_**should**_** be the last one but I've been known to change my mind. I will probably write a sequel which will be Blaze and Chopper's wedding and any other weddings you might want to read about. I have a good idea of what will happen at Blaze and Chopper's wedding. The sequel will also include the reveal of the Razgriz to the public and an interview of the Razgriz with a reporter or reporters. Haven't decided which yet. Speaking of interviews, I need interview questions, so this is for all my reviewers, I need questions that any of you might think a reporter would ask or if there was ever a time where you wanted to know what someone else was feeling at the time when the POV wasn't that specific someone, let me know. I'll give you credit in my author's note for giving me the questions. Please review!**


	39. Epilogue Part One

**The end is nigh. And I don't mean because there's sixty-nine days until December 21, 2012. I don't think that's going to happen. I think the Mayans either had a sense of humor or the Spanish got to them before they could finish the calendar. It's one of those two… possible both… I'm rambling. Ignore all of that. Hope you are enjoying the story!**

**KeyBladeMidnight:**** Finally! Thank you :) And the question is fantastic! I will certainly use it :)**

**Noctis Eternus:**** Yeah, technically he was reincarnated. That's going to be hard to write because well… I have no idea how I'm going to write it. I guess I will write it as it comes to me. That's what I'm doing half the anyway. No, it's Blaze, of course she can't wait. She's actually very good at Christmas. And I'm telling you this because might found this out in the prequel… shh! Oh and that's over 8000 miles haha so you were close… if you times your original guess by eight. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Ben Webster:**** Nice question :) I'll use it!**

**Shadow1121:**** Good deduction my friend :) and thank you! And thank you for the questions! I will most certainly use them!**

**Cartoony:**** Interesting is word I guess haha**

**RandomNumbers523156:**** I had to give the beginning a slow beginning because I had to save the big bang for the finale (if that makes any sense).**

**Sky EXE:**** Haha I think I would call you the mind reader since I've had that planned practically since the beginning of the story :P I'm trying!**

**Quote of the Chapter:**

"**I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so you can learn to let go. Things go wrong so you can appreciate them when they're right. You believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself. And sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together."**

**~ Marilyn Monroe**

Epilogue Part One

**Chopper**

I woke up without opening my eyes. I was in that state where you're borderline awake and borderline asleep at the same time. What happens is up to you. The place was dark and I immediately snapped my eyes open, fearing I would be back in that hellhole entrapped by the Belkans. Relief surged through me when I recognized the room as that of one of Versailles's. I let out a sigh before I realized my arm was wrapped protectively around someone's waist. My stomach somersaulted, wondering who it was because for a brief moment, I thought I was sleeping with someone other than Blaze. However, then the memory of last night came rushing back and for the second time in less than two minutes, relief flooded through me.

Blaze was curled up in a ball, but she was pressed against me as much as physically possible. Her blonde hair was contained by her sleeping on it. Her cheek was red and I realized I must've been sleeping on it. Blaze's arms were pulled up to her chest as if she was cold. I couldn't blame her. The air conditioner had kicked on and we had, in the middle of the night, kicked off all the blankets. Carefully, I used my legs to shift the blanket up high enough for me to reach it so I could cover us up. Thank god Blaze was a heavy sleeper because I was neither the quietest nor the stealthiest at shifting the blanket up. Somehow, I managed it and we ended up well covered by the blanket.

Sleepiness suddenly hit me again and I felt like I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. I rested my head on Blaze's cheek and fell back asleep.

I woke up again to the high-pitched ringing of the room's phone. I was now on my back with Blaze resting her head on my chest. Her arms were still pulled up tightly to her chest though. How on earth was she sleeping through that blasted ringing? With a groan, I picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Chopper? What are you doing in- wait, does she know?" Grimm's voice inquired hesitantly.

"Yeah, she knows I'm alive," I said quietly, looking down unconsciously at her. "Wasn't the happiest of greetings at first but that's a story for another time."

"Well when you two stop doing the unspeakable things-"

"We haven't done anything!" I snapped, more loudly than I intended. Blaze stirred slightly. So my voice could wake her up but the telephone ring from hell couldn't? Of course, because that just makes so much sense…

"Uh huh," Grimm said drolly. "Listen, keep her occupied today. Don't let her come into the dining room."

"Grimm, this is Blaze we're talking about. She does what she wants," I pointed out bluntly. "Y'all couldn't keep her from sneaking out of my parents' home and coming here. How on earth do y'all think she's going to listen to me?"

"Because," Grimm started as if it should be as obvious as the sky is blue, "she's not going to want to let you out of her sight for a while now that you're back. Why don't you go see your family? I'm sure they're worried about Blaze leaving in the middle of the night and I know they'll be unbelievably happy to see you."

"Yeah, but why do y'all want her out of the room?" When Grimm explained the situation I smiled. Only Blaze… Then an idea popped into my head. What the hell? I had been gone for a while so why not? I explained my plan to Grimm who nearly yelled from excitement. "You have to play _You've Lost that Loving Feeling_."

"I think that is one of the most brilliant plans you've ever come up with."

"Chopper… who is it?" Blaze murmured. I looked down at her. Her eyes were open slits, just enough where I could see her hazel irises.

"Go back to sleep sweetie," I whispered. She nodded and did as she was told.

"She wake up? So you two _weren't_ doing the unspeakable?"

I hung up on him.

Looking at the clock, it was almost ten in the morning. Blaze and I had been asleep for almost ten hours. I also noticed I had no feeling in my left arm from Blaze sleeping on it. I didn't mind but the prickling sensation traveling up and down my arm was making me constantly shift it and constantly making it involuntarily jerk.

"You're fidgeting. Are you okay?" Blaze mumbled, opening one of her eyes half way.

"Yeah, my arm is dead." Blaze shot up and looked at my arm worriedly. I observed with an abrupt abject horror just how jumpy Blaze was at the mention of specific words and at specific sounds in just a few seconds. Almost all at once, a car engine backfired and a door creaked open from somewhere outside in the hallway. Blaze jumped rather violently and whether she knew it or not, edged right next to me, almost cowering against me. I then saw how much Rald had messed her up. I wanted to kill him with my bare hands for it.

"Not literally, Blazing Star. It's numb from you sleeping on it," I assured her as I sat up. I gave her a kiss on the cheek. She turned and looked at me sheepishly.

"So who was on the phone?"

"Grimm. He told us to take the day off and he suggested I go see me parents. To be honest, I've been wanting to but I couldn't because you were there and everyone didn't want me seeing you just yet."

Blaze smiled softly. "Go see your parents." After a moment's hesitation, she added, "I'll stay here so you can have some privacy with them."

"No," I said quickly. "I want you to come with me. If I am standing at the door and one of my parents opens the door, they're going to have a coronary. You have to prepare them… plus I don't want to do this without you. You're my family as much as they are."

She didn't reply for an agonizing minute and I figured she was going to be her usual stubborn self and not do what she was told but to my amazement, she said, "Okay. I'm going to take a shower so I look presentable." Blaze gave me a quick peck on the cheek and got out of bed. She grabbed clothes and a towel and shut the bathroom door, leaving me to my thoughts as I lay back down on the bed.

How on earth was I going to break the news to my parents that I was alive and (somewhat) well? It's not like I could just waltz on in there and go 'Hey mom! Hey dad! Hey Mel! I'm alive!' Yeah, don't think that would go over so well. I mean, I know they love me and I know they're going to be beyond happy to see me but seriously, I think my parents might have a coronary. Don't want to sound mean but they're not that young anymore…

How would they act when they finally stopped flipping out I was alive? Would they even flip out? Would they act like Nagase and flinch away from me? Would they act like Cassie and barrel into me to give me a hug? Would they act like Blaze and completely lose it and try to shoot me (my family knows how to use guns)? There were so many possibilities whirling through my head I was making myself go crazy. I stood up and headed over to the dresser and stared at my reflection with an absurd thought flashing through my mind that I felt like a girl for doing this (not that I'm trying to stereotype girls). But I wanted to do it. I took in my appearance, and pardon the language here, but I looked like shit. My hair was scraggly and long, something I was completely unused to and something I completely despised. All during my high school years, I never understood the long hair for guys look. I didn't mind it if guys had long hair, but I didn't understand it. I can't tell you how many times girls would think a guy was a girl because his hair was so long.

Moving on from my rant, my eyes looked hollow and dull. The bags under my eyes were a prominent purple and it looked like I had aged about ten years. I know it was from lack of sleep and nutrition and compared to the first day I saw my reflection, this was an improvement, but still… and my irises were dull. Whereas before they had always had a mischievous spark in them, now they were tired and alert, exhausted from the ordeal and tense for any threat that might try to capture me or Blaze again. I wasn't going to let that happen. I wouldn't survive another experience like that.

My face was pale. In fact, I looked like Frosty the freaking Snowman. I had been going outside in the courtyard in the middle of Versailles away from the prying eye of the paparazzi but I was having a hard time getting tan.

I looked at my arms. Whereas before they had been muscular and buff, they looked like sticks that could easily be snapped in two.

I wasn't used to being weak. I wasn't used to not looking like I could hurt anyone who threatened me or people close to me. I wasn't used to looking like Frosty the Snowman. I wasn't used to looking like Shaggy from Scooby-Doo with my long hair. Hell, all I needed was some red bell bottom pants, a green t-shirt and a brown Great Dane with black spots and I'd be set (I already had the ravenous appetite).

I hated this.

I despised it.

I wanted to get rid of this image of me and get back to my old self.

"Chopper?" I hadn't even noticed that Blaze had come up next to me. I jumped slightly from surprise and turned to look at her. Her hair was dried and perfectly straight. She was in a dress with a black top and a tan bottom. Blaze had put on some makeup just to her standards that she decided she was presentable enough to go out in public. Of course, I always thought she looked presentable, with or without makeup.

"How'd you even recognize me? I look nothing like the old me," I muttered. She didn't answer right away.

"You _are_ still the old you. You might have long hair, you might be thinner, you might look paler, but you're still _you_. I would recognize you anywhere anytime." I looked at her and even with the makeup, you could tell she had lost color in her face. You could tell she'd lost weight. But it would take someone who knew her well to know how much the experience had messed her up. Even almost a month later, she was still scarred from it. We both were.

I only gave her a smile and a quick kiss before heading into the bathroom.

It hardly took me ten minutes to take a shower. It would've taken five if my hair hadn't been so damn long. I had tried to convince the group that I needed a haircut but apparently, in the weeks I had been here, there had been no time. I could remember plenty of times we could've sacrificed a meeting to go get my hair cut but alas, that didn't happen, much to my annoyance.

I put on some jeans a blue tee and headed out of the bathroom. Blaze was on the bed, curled up in a ball with a book next to her head. It reminded me of the old times when none of this had happened and we were just nuggets on Sand Island; when Blaze wasn't feeling like she had the responsibility of all of our lives on her shoulders; when they all hadn't been called traitors and chased from the only base they had really known and called home. We live in a screwed up world, just saying.

I walked over to her and gently shook her awake. Blaze nearly slapped me but I managed to duck.

"Sorry," she apologized sheepishly. I grinned.

"I see you haven't changed much," I joked. "Come on, I decided before we go see my parents, I want to get a haircut… and some pie."

"You're as bad as Dean Winchester," Blaze noted with a smirk. I grinned; we were back to our old routine of cracking jokes and not thinking about what lay ahead of us… or for us, behind us. For a few brief moments, I forgot everything we had been through and it was liberating. Blaze captured me a kiss and I hovered over her. I wasn't sure how long we kissed but we both ended up on the bed. I didn't mind.

"I thought you said you two weren't doing the unspeakable, Chopper," an amused voice observed from the doorway. Blaze and I jumped apart as if we were caught in some clandestine act.

"Grimm!" I snapped but my embarrassment made it hard for me to be angry. I tried not to laugh but that was easier said than done.

"We were just kissing, Grimm. Besides, I'm sure you and Cassie have done the unspeakable with how happy you two have looked lately," Blaze said nonchalantly but there was mischievous spark in her eye. God I missed that look.

Grimm flushed a deep crimson and Blaze looked somewhat shocked. "Wow," she said, "I was just joking."

"I see you still have your psychic powers," I joked. She nudged me playfully before going up to hug Grimm and saying, "Good to see you."

"You, too. You look great," Grimm told her.

"I _feel _great," Blaze replied. He smiled and something told me Grimm didn't mean she looked just physically great. I made a mental note to myself to ask him later what Blaze had _really_ been like when I was gone and to not hold back any more like they had been. I wasn't stupid. I knew they had been withholding specific details from me, probably because they knew I wouldn't like it. "How did you know Chopper and I were together?"

"Told me when I called this morning. So how did you do it, Blaze?" he queried.

"What do you mean?"

"How did you leave the Davenports' house without them stopping you?"

Blaze looked somewhat guilty. "Called in a favor from some of Chopper's friends: Jensen and Jared."

"Did Jensen hit on you?" I inquired seriously. She laughed and shook her head.

"How did she react to you, Chopper?" Grimm questioned with raised eyebrows. While Blaze put one hand to her head from shame, I grinned from ear to ear and said, "That's a story for the whole group to hear."

Grimm tried to protest but when Blaze told him it wasn't going to happen, he shut up. Wow, she had really honed her 'Captain's Orders' skill. We told him what our plan was for today and that we'd be back around seven.

"That's perfect!" Grimm exclaimed. He and I shared a look and Blaze glared at both of us.

"What are you two up to?" She asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," I lied. I knew she would see right through it but I knew she would know not to argue. Grimm left us after telling us to not do anything we wouldn't tell our parents and Blaze literally kicked him in the butt and out of room and shut the door before realizing we both were meaning to leave the place. I grabbed my aviators that I had left in Blaze's room last night when I had been in here, looking at the pictures she had posted everywhere. Blaze grabbed her jacket and aviators and we walked out hand-in-hand.

**Blaze**

It always worried me when Chopper shared a look with someone else that clearly said the two of them knew something that I didn't… did that make sense? Anyways, it was driving me insane and Chopper could see that because he said, "Don't worry, you'll see later."

I snorted. Our four body guards kept a neutral but protective distance, two behind us and two in front of us. I felt secure, especially with Chopper by my side. The trip to the barber shop was quick and easy and it was obvious that having his hair back to its short, cropped look lifted Chopper's spirits immensely. He said he didn't like looking like a blonde Gene Simmons even though he looked nothing like Gene Simmons in the first place. Then we walked to Shipley's Donuts and on the way, Chopper bought me a single red rose; his explanation, and I don't know how he remembered this, was that he had promised to give me a rose after we helped President Harling (the first time).

Finally, I told him, "It's almost one. I think we should go see your parents now."

A look of complete and utter trepidation crossed onto his face. He was probably wondering how they were going to react and wondering if they were going to try and shoot him like I did… I still can't believe I almost shot him…

One of our bodyguards was Alex. He called for Versailles to bring a black Escalade to pick us up. Chopper shifted from foot to foot while we waited for the truck and once we were on our way to his childhood home, he fidgeted the whole way there.

When there was only a half-hour left before we were to arrive at the Davenports' home, I called the landline. Melissa picked up.

"Hello?" she sounded slightly frantic.

"Hey, Melissa. It's Blaze," I replied.

"Blaze! Damn, we've been worried about you! When you didn't come down this morning and I went to check on you and you weren't there and all that _was_ there was a note saying you went to Versailles on urgent business, I thought you'd been freaking kidnapped again and that the kidnappers had lied and-"

"Melissa!" I interjected hastily. "I'm fine. It really was urgent business… but it was more personal than professional. I'll explain when I get to your house."

"How far away are you?"

"Thirty minutes. Are your parents home?"

"No, why?"

"Tell them they need to come home straight away. This is urgent. It has to do with why I went to Versailles last night."

"And it involves us?" She sounded dubious.

"Yes, but I can't explain it over the phone. Please, just make sure you're all there when I get there," I pleaded.

"You're not pregnant, are you?"

The question shocked me so much that my reply was clipped and flustered sounding so she probably thought I was lying when I went, "What? No. Definitely not."

We talked for a few more minutes before she finally conceded to my insistent requests.

"Is she okay?" Chopper asked in a voice that defied his calm look.

I nodded. "She seems suspicious. I think she's actually a little pissed that I took off in the middle of the night. Plus her first thought when I told her that I need to talk to all of them was that I was pregnant."

Chopper started cracking up.

The last thirty minutes we rode in silence. Chopper wouldn't stop fidgeting, whether it was shifting his hands or having a one-man thumb war. I stared out the window and let my thoughts wander.

Chopper was different. There was no doubt about that. He was more serious and quiet. I knew that his imprisonment by Rald had taken a toll no one could understand, not even me. I had only been imprisoned a couple weeks. Chopper had been imprisoned for over six months. That was unimaginable to me. I wanted to wring Rald's neck.

Slowly, I started seeing the old aspects of Chopper. His humor was slowly returning. His habitual bantering that he almost specifically aimed at Grimm was coming back. This morning I wanted to scream from joy but everyone thought I had already lost my mind. No need to give them anymore.

"Blaze!" Chopper called, snapping his fingers in my face. I blinked and looked at him.

"What?" I queried innocently.

"We're here." His brow was furrowed in worry and I realized I was slipping back into my old habits when I was having the 'Chopper-crashing-into-the-stadium-and-dying-and-s caring-the-bejeezus-out-of-me' dreams and when he had been going nearly out of his mind trying to get me to open up about what was going on. Gosh dang it…

"I'm fine," I assured. "Now listen, wait in the car. I'll come get you when you can come in."

He nodded stiffly and after giving him a quick kiss, I hopped out of the car and practically ran up to the steps. I knocked nice and loudly on the door. Melissa opened it barely a few seconds later. She smiled at me and frowned at the bodyguards in the black Escalade.

"I'm not sure if your face is at the black Escalade being so stereotypical for the bodyguards or at the number and size of the bodyguards," I said.

Melissa smiled gently. "Both. Come on in."

With one last glance at the SUV, I entered the Davenports' home.

**Melissa**

Blaze seemed different. She seemed more upbeat, more outgoing, and _happier_. The shine in her eyes that had been there when she came in November was back. Something had happened last night.

We went into the living room where my parents were pacing. When they saw Blaze, they both gave her hugs. Apparently, they saw the sudden change in her too because my mom instantly asked, "You're glowing… are you pregnant?"

Blaze looked confused. "No. Not pregnant. Why does everyone keep asking that?"

I'm so much like my mother sometimes it scares me.

"Please, uh, sit down," Blaze requested. She seemed unusually flustered. Her face was flushed and she kept biting her lips and running her fingers through her hair. What on earth was going on?

"What's that matter? You're really high-strung," I noted as I sat down. My parents still refused. I think they thought Blaze was high or something.

"Did you take too many pain killers?" My father questioned, studying Blaze.

"What? No! I haven't taken any since last night. Please, sit down though. Seriously, what I'm about to tell-slash-show you is going to be beyond shocking and uh, no offense, but I don't want any of you having coronaries. I almost had one. In fact, I flipped out when I saw… well, you'll see," she rambled. My parents listened and sat down on the couch. We were all staring at Blaze with perplexed expressions. She kept repeating to prepare ourselves over and over as she left the room and I don't know what was making her so anxious. I heard the front door open but not shut. There was a brief moment of silence. Then there was a pair of much heavier footsteps along with Blaze's soft ones. They approached the doorway to the living room but stopped.

"I can't do this…" someone, a male, whispered frantically.

"You _can_ do this. You _have_ to do this. They miss you," Blaze consoled. Who was this person?

"How are they going to react? I've been-"

"I know but they're your family. They won't react like I did…" Blaze sounded somewhat shameful.

"They also didn't go through what you did," the man said gently. You didn't need to see either of them to know that these two held a dear place for the other in their heart.

I couldn't take anymore and I decided to go see who it was for myself. I stood up and briskly walked to the doorway. I stumbled backwards when the visitor looked at me.

"Melissa?" My parents inquired in an alarmed voice. They stood up and ran to me as I covered my mouth in… shock barely covered what I was feeling.

"Alvin," I whispered. My parents were staring at my brother, _their son_, clutching their hearts. Now I knew why Blaze had said she didn't want them to have a coronary. I think _I _was about to have one. However, I didn't stay stationary for long because my feet moved me of their own accord to my brother. He stood, rooted to the spot, as if frightened that if he moved, I would retreat away. Fat chance of that happening. I threw my arms around him with such force that he stumbled back. I didn't realize I was crying… okay more like sobbing, until I tried to wipe my tears on his shirt but it was already soaked. His arms were wrapped around me, squeezing the living daylights out of me, but I didn't care. I felt my parents join in the hug and we were reunited as a family. I suddenly thought of Blaze. She was just as much a part of this family as we all were. Hell, she and Chopper had been engaged. She was going to be my sister-in-law. Chopper seemed to have the same idea and I saw that as he turned to look behind him for his fiancée, there were tear stains on his face. He pulled a sticky note that was on the banister. He read it and with a small grimace and looked up the stairwell before looking back at us.

"I guess I have a lot of explaining to do?" He looked sort of sheepish.

"You have no idea, little brother," I told him. He grinned and the four of us walked into the living room.

He started out with him being shot down, jumping out of his plane, and waking up in a hospital with a couple unfamiliar guys surrounding him. When he was able to leave, which coincidentally was when the famous air squadron the Razgriz was attacking Sudentor (I seriously want to meet them and thank them for saving our country) and he said he actually said a comment over the radio (something about a big tunnel) before getting conked on the head and waking up in pitch blackness. After that, he told us the Belkans had tried to extract information from him. I could tell he wasn't giving us the full story; I think it was because it was too horrific. I wondered if Blaze knew the whole story.

Then he got to the part where Blaze entered and how he remembered having an instant connection with her. So even with amnesia, he still felt connected to the same girl? Maybe that's what true love is. He said that when he finally figured out it was Blaze, he went stark-raving mad trying to save her. He kept gritting his teeth in the parts with Rald. Then it dawned on me that my brother was talking about _the_ Waldemarr Rald. I had heard horror stories of what Rald did to his prisoners and now I realized why my brother had held back on what had happened. He did go into a little detail about Blaze's torture. He explained that she'd been tasered repeatedly to the brink of unconsciousness and then how she'd been stabbed and how she'd single-handedly shot Rald. He downplayed his rescue of her but my parents and I were still in awe. How had either of them survived the ordeal?

"And yeah, that's the story," Chopper finished. He said it as if he said "School was fine" or "I'm going to wash the dishes." He said it way too casually.

My mother and father's faces had been drained of color and I guessed mine was probably the same.

"Um, listen," My brother began, scratching the back of his head. "I was thinking…"

He explained to us what had been on his mind and my mother and I both started crying again.

"That's fantastic! We'll go into town and you can slip away with one of us so we can-" My mother started.

"And we'll keep her occupied," I offered.

"How do women know exactly what the other is thinking without finishing the sentence?" Chopper queried.

"It's a woman thing," I joked. He smirked.

"I'm going to go find Blaze. She's been quiet too long," Chopper said. He gave us all a tight hug before going up the stairs to find her. My family and I elapsed back into tears after he left.

**Blaze**

I was sacked out in Chopper's bed, curled in up in a ball to try and stop the pain in my stomach.

It wasn't working. Lately, I had been able to go for longer periods of time without any pain, but when the pain did come, holy Razgriz, _that_ was real hell. Besides genuinely wanting Chopper to have alone time with his family, I also didn't think I'd be able to sit through everything without blacking out from pain.

"Blaze?" I opened my eyes to find Chopper level with me, staring at me with his crystal blue eyes. I smiled but I think it turned out as more of a grimace.

"You're stomach?" he queried. I nodded. He pulled out an orange pill bottle and I could've cried from relief. It was the painkillers the doctors had given me.

"I don't know what I'd do without you," I murmured, snatching the bottle and downing a pill with no water or anything.

"It sounds like you fended for yourself pretty well while I was gone. My parents want to go into town. Do you want to stay here?"

I waved him off. "I'm fine. I've been in worse condition before. Let's go."

He helped me up to my feet and we went downstairs together.

The trip was brief because the sun was sinking and we had to be back at Versailles by seven. Chopper and Melissa had slipped off somewhere for about half an hour and came back looking triumphant. Chopper wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed me on the head but didn't tell me what he and his sister had done.

Goodbyes were tearful and truthfully, all of us were crying. It took fifteen minutes before any of us could gather up the courage to separate. Chopper and I cuddled in the Escalade on the way back to Versailles. His head rested on mine.

When we arrived, he led me to the dining room on the second floor. I was curious to know why but I figured dinner had been set up and we were joining. When the door opened, there were at least a hundred people staring at me as they shouted, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

I stood frozen in astonishment as the realization dawned on me.

Leave it to me to forget my own birthday.

I was twenty-five…

Chopper wrapped his arms around my waist as he whispered into my ear, "Happy birthday beautiful!"

Everyone was there. Harling, Pops, my squadron, my brother, Cassie, Bartlett, Nastasya, Andersen, Cipher, Pixy, and Geller were at the front; they barraged me with hugs. Then Henri Rald appeared and he looked so shy and out of place that I ran up and hugged him. I had wondered vaguely what had happened to him but I had been so preoccupied with Henry/Chopper that I had forgotten about Henri Rald which made me feel super guilty.

"I'm glad you're okay," he said softly.

"Same goes for you," I said sincerely. The crew from the Kestrel was there too and I gave each of them hugs too.

After that, the party went into full swing. Music blared and cocktail drinks and beers were being downed one after another. I couldn't count how many people were completely smashed. I danced with Chopper most of the night who seemed to be more elated than usual.

Near midnight, I took a break with Cassie and Nagase at the bar. We were just shooting the breeze when Chopper came up with microphone in hand.

"Excuse me, Blaze," he said. Something about this whole setup seemed familiar but I couldn't place it.

"Don't worry, Captain, I'll take care of it," Grimm assured. He had his aviators on for some reason…

Chopper hit Grimm's shoulder and they both bowed before Chopper started singing: "_You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips!"_

Grimm jumped in: "_There's no tenderness like before in your finger tips!_"

Chopper began again: "_You're trying hard not to show it!_"

And then of course, everyone jumped in:"_Baby! But BABY! Believe me I know it! You've lost that love and feeling! Whoa-oh that love and feeling. You've lost that LOVE and feeling now it's gone, gone, gone. Whoa-oh-oh-oh, ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum, bum, bum._"

My face was red as a beet as all the guys sang and Nagase and Cassie were cracking up. I didn't like all this attention focused on me. And of course I realized the scene from _Top Gun_ but I don't think Chopper was trying to get me to date him since, well, we already were.

"Blaze!" Someone shouted as they started singing:"_Baby, baby, I'd get down on my knees for you!_"

I wasn't able to find the source of the caller so I looked back at Chopper.

… Who was on one knee and was holding open a velvet box with the most stunning ring in it.

"Blaze, will you marry me?" he asked softly. I didn't hesitate as I answered yes and tackled him to the floor in a hug. The crowd laughed and cheered at the same time as Chopper and I untangled ourselves and he slipped the ring onto my finger. The crowd chanted for us to kiss and we conceded. Our arms wrapped around each other.

I don't remember much but I do remember that pretty much being the best kiss of all time.

**Wow, long chapter. Not very event-filled but I have to wind the story down somehow! Thank you to the people who reviewed the last chapters! They were very much appreciated! Please review!**


	40. Epilogue Part Two

**Sooo… this is it. After one year and seven months, this is the absolute **_**final**_** chapter. It's kind of sad, I'll admit. I've gotten really attached to these characters. And of course I'll miss my amazing reviewers because I've met some really awesome people because of this story! Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Just a Crazy-Man:**** Thank you so much :)**

**Shadow1121:**** There is a part two… which would obviously be this chapter haha yeah the birthday thing wasn't planned; that was sort of a spur of the moment idea but I thought it would add a bit of humor and maybe a little sweetness to the story.**

**RandomNumbers523156:**** Yeah, I didn't think about that until you just said it but it does show how much of a toll was taken on her.**

**Noctis Eternus:**** That scene was amazing! It was why I decided to have Chopper sort of reenact/spoof it haha and sorry ninjas, but there **_**WILL**_** be a prequel (AC0- hello Jason and Pixy) and there will be a sequel for Razgriz Aces.**

**Quote of the Chapter:  
**"_**Amidst the eternal waves of time  
**__**From a ripple of change shall the storm rise  
**__**Out of the abyss peer the eyes of a demon  
**__**Behold the Razgriz, its wings of black sheath**_

_**The demon soars through the dark skies**__**  
**__**Fear and Death trail its shadow beneath**__**  
**__**Until Men united wield a hallowed sabre**__**  
**__**In the final reckoning, the beast is slain**__**  
**_

_**As the demon sleeps, man turns on man**__**  
**__**Its own blood and madness soon cover the earth**__**  
**__**From the depths of despair awaken the Razgriz  
**__**Its raven wings ablaze in majestic light"  
**__**~The Legend of Razgriz**_** Poem**

* * *

Chapter 40: Epilogue Part Two

**Genette**

I guess since I started this story, I should be the one to end it.

We all got married within the same year except for Bartlett and Nastasya because Bartlett is Bartlett. They married on August 23, 2011. I don't know why they chose that specific date but it was a great wedding. It was all the way in Yuktobania. The Yuke soldiers were all over Blaze, Nagase, and Cassie which I will admit annoyed me, Chopper, and Grimm. But the girls stuck close by us most of the night. I don't think they liked having so much attention on them.

Cassie and Grimm got married next on March 18, 2012. It was really awesome because it took place in an airplane hangar at Heierlark. Cassie had worn a massive ball gown for a wedding dress. How do girls walk in those things?

Nagase and I were next and we got married about a month later on April 29, 2012. Our wedding was small and simplistic on a big, private yacht, but I loved it. Nagase had looked stunning in a simple but elegant A-line gown. She'd even grown her hair out and it was about an inch below her shoulders at our wedding.

And finally, Blaze and Chopper got married. They had the biggest wedding (Chopper has a big family). They got married on October 28, 2012. It was a bright and sunny day in Aspen, Osea. It was an indoor wedding with a view of all the changing aspens outside. It was absolutely incredible. Blaze had worn a fitted dress that flared out at the bottom with one of the longest trains I've ever seen.

Snow introduced us to his wife who was overjoyed to meet us and repeatedly thanked Blaze, Nagase, Chopper, and Grimm for protecting her husband although Chopper didn't want to take praise for something he didn't do and told her he wasn't there to take care of Snow. She acted as if that didn't matter.

A year after we were all married, we were revealed as the Razgriz. The required information had been put together much faster than anyone anticipated and our reveal began in Covent Garden Theater in Oured. The reveal will be taking us all over the world: Yuktobania, Belka, Sapin, Emmeria, Estovakia, Ustio, and other places that border Osea. Cipher, Pixy, Bartlett, Pops, Andersen, Major, and Geller were even on the trip, something we are going to enjoy immensely. We will travel by private jet, and let me tell you, that is the coolest way to travel, especially when it's designed specifically for you. The squadron, Cassie, and I are collaborating with airplane builders and we're personalizing our very own jet. Coolest. Thing. Ever.

So now, as I'm sitting here writing this, with everyone sitting behind me (they all say hi) and trying to distract me (mainly Chopper) and telling me to add things (mainly Cassie and Grimm) and telling me to change something (mainly Nagase and Snow) and showing me a mistake in the writing that I need to fix (mainly Blaze), I think of everything we've been through.

It was easy on none of us. It was an emotional rollercoaster with my sister taking the brunt of a lot of things. She finally opened up to us about what she was hiding before Chopper 'died.' It hadn't been easy for her and she'd had to pause between sentences to gather her wits to go on. We'd all been shocked. We had always joked about Blaze being psychic about some things but her having dreams of Chopper crashing and having it actually come true was nothing to joke about and now I realize why she never wanted to tell us.

Afterwards Chopper went into full detail about his ordeal as a captive of the Belkans. I wanted to be sick from what I heard; I can't go into detail about it. It's too horrific but I'm amazed Chopper lived to tell the story.

I look back on what we went through and sometimes I wondered how any of us got out alive. But I realized it was because of the choices we'd made. At the time we made them, they always seemed to be the wrong one but now, I see how right they were. If we hadn't dug deeper into the 8492nd Squadron, we might never have realized that Hamilton was a traitor and my sister might be dead now because he would've ordered her death for being a 'traitor' to Osea. If we hadn't left my sister alone at Versailles and let her go to her house in the middle of the night, she might never have been kidnapped and we might never have found out Chopper was alive.

Everything has a reason, and sometimes, I would really like to know what that reason is. But as long as everything turns out for the better, I guess I'm okay with staying in the dark.

I'm not sure what lies ahead of us now. We all have steady jobs, steady love-lives, steady lives in general. To be honest, I'm scared of what the future brings but I'm ready for it. I figure that as long as I have my family and friends with me, we can accomplish anything.

As long as the spirit of the Razgriz lives on within us and the citizens of Osea, the impossible can be accomplished.

Long live Razgriz.

* * *

**The ending was really hard to write because I wasn't sure how to end it… but I hope this tied up a few loose ends. There will be a sequel that will be more of a series of short stories in one story of certain events that happened after this story. There will also be a prequel but not sure when that'll be up but I'll send a message to everyone when it's up! Please review! I really appreciate them!**


	41. Thanks

**So I swear to god this is the last chapter and this is just to thank everyone who read this story! There are some statistics on here as well :)**

**So first off, I would like to thank everyone who reviewed!**

**RandomNumber523156**

**Ben revell**

**Admljmc8492**

**Sky EXE**

**Just a Crazy-Man**

**Headstrong**

**Cartoony**

**Shadow1121**

**Ben Webster**

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**KeyBladeMidnight**

**laZardo**

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**501****st**** JFW Razugurizu no Yamato**

**Chopper**

**Eric Hunt**

**Garuda Talisman 1**

**Kyuubi archsage**

**Patriot-112**

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**TheStig**

**And the four guest reviewers**

**In total, y'all gave me 168 reviews. I have never had that happen before. Thank you so much, each and every one of you for helping me break my review record!**

**Now, thank you to everyone who added the story to their favorites!**

**Admljmc8492**

**Ben Webster**

**bluerockmen**

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**Cartoony**

**City of Dis**

**DarkSakuren**

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**Kyuubi archsage**

**LaniusLegioXIII**

**Mobius 1 – ISAF 118****th**** Squadron**

**Nemo103**

**Noctis Eternus**

**Norman Steel**

**PowerZone**

**RandomNumbers523156**

**SDR Johnston**

**ScarPaw234**

**Shadow1121**

**Shifty830**

**Sky EXE**

**Takeshi Yomato**

**Templar Marshal**

**Wildcat717**

**Woflman-053**

**And now for the people who added the story to Story Alert!**

**117Jorn**

**BORNTOFLY21**

**Admljmc8492**

**Ben revell**

**Ben Webster**

**bluerockmen**

**Bondubras of Devoncroix**

**Cartoony**

**Garuda Talisman 1**

**Just a Crazy-Man**

**Killsjoys**

**Kyuubi archsage**

**LaniusLegioXIII**

**laZardo**

**Mobius 1 – ISAF 118****th**** Squadron**

**Noctis Eternus**

**Norman Steel**

**Patriot-112**

**PowerZone**

**Razor T McCutchn**

**Rnn21**

**SDR Johnston**

**ScarPaw234**

**Shadow1121**

**Shifty830**

**Ski Kid**

**Sky EXE**

**Story Writer 4 Eva**

**Templar Marshal**

**Next up are all the countries that visit the story! And yeah, this might be a tad long…**

**United States**

**United Kingdom**

**Australia**

**France**

**Phillipines**

**Canada**

**Mexico**

**Singapore**

**Thailand**

**Switzerland**

**Portugal**

**Indonesia**

**China**

**Finland**

**Poland**

**Malaysia**

**Hong Kong**

**Spain**

**Norway**

**Belgium**

**Brazil**

**Brunei Darussalam**

**Sweden**

**Hungary**

**Denmark**

**Sri Lanka**

**Venezuela**

**Jamaica**

**Chile**

**Greece**

**Austria**

**Guernsey**

**Italy**

**Uruguay**

**South Africa**

**Ireland**

**Argentina**

**Qatar**

**Japan**

**Germany**

**Bangladesh**

**Puerto Rico**

**Republic of Korea**

**New Zealand**

**Russian Federation**

**India**

**Colombia**

**Vietnam**

**Saint Kitts and Nevis**

**Slovenia**

**Pakistan**

**Netherlands**

**Panama**

**Honduras**

**Saudi Arabia**

**Wow, 55 countries have visited the story since I published the story on March 20, 2011. That's yet another record broken thus far.**

**So, now for my monologue (I guess that's what it would be called…). I must say that I had had this story in my head pretty much ever since I got the game when I got it in 2010 and I never knew of FanFiction until I met a girl in one of my classes who was a member of the website. It's only thanks to her that I found this website and was able to publish the story. I also must thank my reviewers because I must say, I got discouraged taking on such a huge story and I almost stopped writing it completely but then I would receive a fantastic review and I would be like "What the hell was I thinking even thinking about stopping the story?" Did that even make sense? That sounded better in my head…**

**I must say, this is not the end for the Razgriz characters. I have grown seriously attached to these characters because that's what happens when you develop their personalities for over a year and half. There will most definitely be a prequel and sequel (and if I can start to understand AC6, I might write a story for that one too).**

**I can't believe this story has gone on for this long but I thoroughly enjoyed writing it. Now I'm off to go edit the remaining chapters and change them from script to dialogue form! I know I've said this but if you want to see what celebrities I've chosen to play each character, go onto my profile page and just scroll down all the way down to the bottom and right before it shows all my stories, it will say **_**This is my Razgriz Story on Wattpad**_** and yeah, I think you can figure it out from there.**

**I hope to see you all in the future and I hope you'll read the prequel and sequel stories. Still not sure which one is going to come first though…**

**Bye and lots of love from Wisegirl502!**


	42. AC0 Preview

**Psych! That last preview for the AC0 chapter, I realized the date was wrong on it and that it would conflict with what was happening in AC4, so while I was editing the one some of you read, I came up with a different idea… annnd wrote this one. I hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter Quote:**

**"Man's enemies are not demons, but beings like himself."**

**~Lao Tzu**

* * *

Chapter 1: Prologue

**Jason**

_**August 1, 2001…**_

_I poured three glasses of Sunny D, one for myself and one for my niece and nephew. I put the juice back in the fridge and somehow managed to carry all three drinks without spilling any orange juice on me or the floor. I was quite proud of myself for that. When I entered the living room, Elizabeth Banks, my fifteen year old niece, relieved me of the two for her and her brother Albert, although he preferred to go by his middle name Genette. He was seventeen._

"_Thank you, Elizabeth," I replied, plopping down on the couch next to her. A little bit of orange juice flew out of my glass and onto my jeans. So much for my no-spilling streak…_

"_Uncle Jason?" Elizabeth asked hesitantly._

"_Yeah?"_

"_I know we've heard the stories a hundred times or more but what was it like flying with the aces of the Belkan Air Force?"_

_I studied my niece and nephew carefully. I realized that I saw myself more in Elizabeth than in Genette; that wasn't always a good thing. I'm a full-blooded Belkan, but when I was one, my parents moved me and my sister (Elizabeth and Genette's mother) to Ustio because of the Rald Party; I remained there until I was eighteen. I went back to Belka for college, to train for the Air Force but when I saw the danger posed by the Rald Party, I dropped out of the Air Force. I didn't know what to do at first, because I still wanted to fly. The sky is like another home to me. I didn't want to fight for Sapin because I couldn't speak a lick of their language. I didn't want to fight for Osea because I felt like they had enough fighters. Therefore, I went back to Ustio but joined as a mercenary. I always felt more Belkan than Ustian._

_What I was talking about before though, about seeing more of me in Elizabeth than Genette not always being a good thing, I mean that Elizabeth acted more Belkan than Osean (my sister moved to Osea after she married). Being a Belkan, you are taught to show no emotion, because when you show no emotion, people can't read you, and when people can't read you, they don't know what your next move is; when people don't know what your next move is, you have the advantage in the situation no matter what it is. Belkans are taught to have pride for their country, something I saw in all of my side of the family. Belkans are taught to analyze every situation and to have a plan for any situation that might arise. That trait was something very prominently showed in my niece. She always had a plan, and if she didn't, she made one up on the spot, acting as if the plan had always been there. I didn't mind some of the traits, it was the emotion one that somewhat bothered me. Belkans usually showed absolutely no emotion, no matter who they were with. Elizabeth openly displayed her love for her family, of course, but when something was bothering or upsetting her, she hid it well… very, very well. It frightened me. She even looked Belkan with her blonde hair, but her hazel eyes were the Osean part of her, something she and her brother had inherited from their father. I was glad that she has some Osean genes in her._

_Genette, on the other hand, was more Osean. He almost always openly showed what he was feeling, whether he was upset or angry. He tended to wing it most of the time rather than creating plans. Of course he held pride for his country. Both he and his sister loved Osea. They thought it was the best country in the world, and living in three different ones, I have to admit Osea is the best so far._

"_Uncle Jason? Why are you staring at us? It's creeping me out," Elizabeth said bluntly as she pushed a piece of golden hair, the same color as mine, out of her face._

_I laughed. "Sorry; it's just you remind me a lot of myself, Elizabeth. You have no idea. The Belkan aces were the devils of the sky."_

"_But there was one guy that could always defeat them no matter who they were," Genette interjected._

"_Who's that?" I asked, knowing full well what they were going to say. I just wanted to annoy them._

"_The Demon Lord!" They exclaimed simultaneously._

"_Oh, right. Him," I said casually._

"_You sound jealous, Uncle Jason," Genette joked._

"_Why would I be jealous of him?" I prodded._

"_Oh, it's not like he's one of the greatest fighter pilots of all time. Did you ever fly with him?!"_

_I stared at them again. I hated keeping it from them, especially when they were so intrigued by the guy that they had no inkling of the fact that he was _me_. My identity as the Demon Lord, for my personal safety (and by order of the Ustian government), had been kept confidential, but I couldn't keep it from anyone else any longer. I wanted them to know, so I decided to tell them; however, I was going to let them figure it out._

"_You guys want to know a secret?" I queried. They both nodded eagerly. "Okay, but what I'm telling you is confidential. You must tell absolutely no one, not even your parents."_

_They both swore on their lives they wouldn't breathe a word. I decided it was safe to tell them._

"_I flew with him on every mission," I said. Elizabeth's mouth fell open while Genette ran a hand through his cropped, light brown hair._

"_But that's impossible," Elizabeth finally said. "He had two wingmen but neither was there with him the whole time."_

"_And you have actually flown planes so you couldn't be his RIO. Are you lying to us?" Genette looked at me suspiciously, narrowing his eyes. I shook my head. I looked back at his sister; I could almost see the gears turning behind her glittering hazel eyes that met my blue ones._

"_He's not lying to us Genette. He's telling the truth," she said, staring at me wide-eyed._

"_What are you talking about?" He prodded._

"_He _did_ fly with the Demon Lord on every mission… because he is the Demon Lord."_

* * *

**December 31, 2005…**

I watched as Genette and Elizabeth wrestled on the floor. He still could get the upper hand over her but she was stronger than she had been before; she was smart, she was strategic, and sometimes that helped her win the fight with her brother.

"All right you two, enough wrestling or you're going to break something," I said. Genette stood up, helping his sister stand in the process.

"Hey, what time is it?" Elizabeth suddenly asked.

"Almost noon, why?"

"Genette! The documentary!" she exclaimed. The expression on her face mirrored that of her brother's almost identically before they leapt into sitting position on the couch, eyes glued to the TV.

"What's so important about this documentary?" I inquired, sitting down beside Elizabeth.

"It's about _you_. This journalist found people that flew with you in the Belkan war, both enemies and allies… mostly enemies but still."

"What's the journalist's name?"

"Brett Thompson. He came and spoke to us at OCU a year ago. It was about how to create good credentials to help you gather information. Guy's a bloody genius," Genette answered. OCU stood for Osea Continent University. It was one of the toughest schools to get into on the continent. UOB (_you-ob_), the University of Belka, was the hardest. Elizabeth attended OAFA, the Osean Air Force Academy, which was also no easy task to get into. I still found it interesting that the two had practically switched career choices. It used to be that Elizabeth wanted to be a journalist and Genette wanted to be a pilot (although that might've been because his friend Alvin Davenport was an Air Force fanatic and the two could talk about it for hours). Go figure.

I nodded my head and watched the beginning of the documentary. I had never told my niece and nephew the stories of my time as the Demon Lord. I always told them I would tell them at a later date, that it wasn't the right time. But now, seeing the documentary created specifically to focus on _my_ career, I decided it was the right time. However, I also chose to watch the beginning of the documentary just to see how it was going to start out, just to see what approach the journalist was going to take on it.

The three of us regarded the show with an unbreakable interest as it started. It began with a black screen with the white words "25 NOV., 2005 NEAR A DISPUTED BORDER" as a voice that I recognized immediately said, "Oh, him? Yeah, I know him."

The screen changed, showing a man in a military uniform, sitting in a chair, semi-bracing himself on an AK-47 since he leaned forward. The place he was in was rundown, almost seemingly forgotten and near to the point of falling down, but it somehow still stood. Only the bottom half of his face showed, but I still knew him. I knew that face from anywhere.

It was Pixy. My buddy.

"It's going to take a while…" my old buddy continued. "It happened years ago." He shook his head a little as he said it. He looked down thoughtfully at the floor, allowing for a brief glimpse of the rest of his face before he looked up again and said, "Did you know… there are three kinds of aces? Those who seek strength. Those who live for pride. And those who can read the tide of battle." As he named each one of, he held up a finger. "Those are three. And him? He was a true ace. I've never met anyone like him ever since…"

The voice changed to that of the journalist while showing pictures of fighter jets in the air, specifically of me and Pixy flying; I distinguished the red signature red solo wing on our planes (I'll get to that later). I also couldn't help but notice the reporter sounded like Genette. "He was a fighter pilot they called "Solo Wing Pixy. He was a colleague of the man I seek. Ten years ago, there was a war that engulfed the world. The Belkan War. And in that war was a pilot who trailed across the sky, and disappeared from history. He was a lone mercenary who inspired both fear and admiration. He is the man I seek. And so… with words of 'Solo Wing,' the curtain rises."

The screen flashed back to Pixy who was still in the same position; I now observed he was chewing gum. I wasn't sure why but I did. It was his turn to talk again. "It was a cold and snowy day…"

The video faded to black and switched to a commercial. I had TiVo, so I paused the entire channel. I looked over at Elizabeth and Genette; they were staring at me.

"I think…" I said, "that I told you of my time as the Demon Lord."

* * *

**Okay, so this is the new (and hopefully improved) beginning of AC0. Hope you enjoyed and please review! Thank you to ****RandomNumbers523156, Ben Webster, and LaniusLegioXIII for reviewing on the other preview that no one but us knows what we're talking about because I deleted that preview and posted this one… BYE**


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